Lover's Leap
by jibbsloversunited
Summary: Gibbs looks into a case as a favour to the wife of an old friend - and gets more than he bargained for when he realizes that soulmates are found in the most unusual places. Rating will change eventually. This kicks off our AU series.
1. Chapter 1

_So after 2 hours on instant messenger this morning...this is what we came up with! _

* * *

"Special Agent Gibbs!" Director Morrow's voice sounded from above the bullpen. The rest of his team ignored it, but Gibbs looked up as Morrow hooked a finger at him. He sighed wearily and lifted himself out of his chair.

He ignored the Director's assistant, as per usual, as he walked into Morrow's office. Tom looked up and put down the file.

"Gibbs." He gestured towards the chair.

"Gonna fire me Tom?" Gibbs asked. Tom laughed.

"Why? What have you done?" Morrow asked, eyeing Gibbs warily. Gibbs smiled lightly.

"Nothing…this week." Morrow rolled his eyes and leant forward, clasping his hands on the desk in front of him.

"No, Gibbs, I have a job for you. Brigadier General Evans's wife has been on the phone this morning." Gibbs squeezed the arm of the chair. Evans was his friend, had been for years. The was only one reason his wife would be on the phone with Morrow.

"What happened?" Gibbs demanded.

"He's been involved in a murder, local Leo's are holding him, says he is the number one suspect." Ok, maybe there were two reasons. Gibbs heaved a sigh of relief and scowled at Morrow.

"You trying to give me a heart attack?" Morrow let out a small laugh.

"Sorry Jethro. His wife is desperate to get you down there to help him out. She even sent me an email." He turned his screen around to show Gibbs the email. Gibbs leant forward, squinted and leant back. Morrow laughed again.

"Get some glasses Jethro." Gibbs scowled again and sat back.

"Why me?"

"Because… we both know Evans couldn't kill anyone unless in the line of Duty." Morrow took a deep breath. "And I am thinking of moving on. Homeland Security have a position available that could be very good for my career." Morrow turned the screen back around and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Your career? Isn't nearly over?" Gibbs couldn't resist the dig at Morrow's age and Morrow shook his head.

"Funny. Evan's was one of the few potentials to take over…I need complete discretion on this one Gibbs." Morrow stood up and walked over to the drinks cabinet, pouring himself a large whiskey and sat back down.

So…where are we going?" Gibbs asked. Morrow stared at him for a few seconds, taking a sip before speaking once again.

"Pour yourself a drink, you might need one."

* * *

"So when do you think the last time the boss got laid was?" Tony's voice interrupted typing from McGee and had the usually calm and collected Ziva choking on her coffee. She stared dumfounded at him.

"What? It's a perfectly legitimate question." He defended himself.

"One I do not wish to think about Tony." Ziva answered, rolling her eyes at McGee who shook his head in despair.

"No seriously guys…when?" Tony asked, taking his feet of his desk and leaning forward, a glint in his eyes.

"When was the last time you got…laid, Tony?" Ziva asked, raising her eyebrows at Tony as McGee sighed in the corner.

"Last night…" Tony ignored the snort from McGee, "What about you, Zee-Vah?"

"Two nights ago."

"Really?"

"Yes Tony…really." Tony and Ziva both turned to look at McGee who tried to ignore their stares. He looked up, expecting them to have gotten tired waiting but they were both still staring at him. He swallowed.

"I…uh..."

"Spill it, McGonads." Tony grinned at him across the bullpen as McGee's skin turned an ever brighter shade of red. He spluttered for a few moments before Gibbs strode back into the bullpen. McGee's eyes lit up and before he had a chance to think he opened his mouth.

"When was the last time you…" Gibbs turned towards McGee and McGee's eyes widened as he realized his mistake.

"Grab your gear guys, we're heading out." McGee heaved a sigh of relief as Tony grinned at him as he grabbed his bag.

"And would you guys please stop talking about sex….we're going to get enough of that in Arizona." Gibbs said, walking towards the elevators. Tony's eyes widened and he practically ran after Gibbs.

"Why boss? Naval death in a brothel? Prostitution Ring? Oooh, I know, unexplained death in a strip club." Gibbs stared at him and rolled his eyes.

"Seriously Boss, why are we going to Arizona?" Gibbs pressed the down button as he replied. McGee swallowed, Ziva chuckled and Tony gasped.

"Uh Boss…I don't think I heard you right, I mean, I couldn't have heard you right because I thought you said…"

"You heard right DiNozzo." Gibbs replied as the doors slid closed, already regretting the fact that he had asked to bring the rest of the team.

"But Boss…you said…"

"I know, Dinozzo, Sex Addiction Clinic."

* * *

_V & E_


	2. Chapter 2

* * *

The body must have passed them in the sky. The local Leos sending it back - not needing to know anything other than the fact that NCIS were heading the investigation - because by the time Gibbs pushed open the door to the three bedroomed apartment they would be staying in, Ducky was already on the line.

"Yeah... Gibbs."

Gibbs kicked the door closed as Tony, Ziva and McGee roamed the house, calling dibs on bedrooms.

He sighed.

"The children giving your trouble Jethro?" Ducky asked. And Gibbs let out a small laugh.

"You have no idea, Duck. Whatcha got?" Gibbs sighed again as Tony came slouching into the room.

"God…its sooo hot" Tony moaned. He heard Ducky chuckle on the other end of the phone.

"Sounds like Anthony is enjoying himself." the medical examiner said.

Gibbs let out a tired laugh.

"Duck…" he said encouragingly.

Ducky chuckled again, and Gibbs could practically heard Abby bouncing behind him.

"Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs…" she rambled on the phone.

"Hey Abs."

Gibbs switched the phone onto loudspeaker as Ziva and McGee walked into the room. They all took a seat around the table in the kitchen and waited.

"So, how many patients is Tony claiming to have slept with already?" Abby's voice sounded.

"Um…Abs, I can hear you, you're on speaker." Tony pointed out, glaring at Ziva who was trying, and failing, to cover up her laughter.

"Sorry, Tony…how many patients are you claiming to have slept with already?" Abby asked again. This time Ziva didn't even try to cover up her laughs.

"Enough! Abby, whatcha got?" Gibbs practically shouted, causing Tony to jump and then sulk at his inability to defend himself.

"I'll let the Duck Man tell you, considering he found out why…not me. I'm the scientist, not the ME, although, I did think of becoming an ME once. Did I ever tell you…"

"Abby…" He heard Abby breathe an apology and Ducky was back on the line the next second.

"Cause of death was suffocation, Jethro. The poor woman was strangled, although it looks like she made no attempt to defend herself."

Gibbs frowned, hating having to ask the obvious questions.

"Drugged?"

"Abby is running the bloodwork as we speak."

"Run a sex kit."

"I thought we weren't talking about sex anymore."

"Don't make me start hitting _you_ Ducky." Gibbs said, good-naturedly before he hung up, the sounds of Ducky's laughter cutting off as the phone snapped shut.

"Get your stuff sorted, we leave for to the clinic in ten minutes. McGee, DiNozzo…you two are sharing a room. David, yours is the back room, I'll take the front one."

Tony grumbled as he walked off with McGee, and Gibbs pinched the bridge of his nose. He could feel a headache coming on.

Seven minutes later the team emerged from their respective bedrooms, all ready to go. Gibbs held the door open as they walked out. Tony hung back as Ziva and McGee got into the truck.

"Seriously Boss, why do I have to share a room with McGee?" Tony whined.

Gibbs gave him a look and Tony shrank back.

"Because you are not sharing with Ziva…and definitely not me…now get in the truck."

* * *

As they pulled up the Clinic, Tony had to bite his bottom lip to stop himself from commenting, knowing he had already pissed Gibbs off enough for one day.

McGee had no such qualms.

"Lover's Leap?" He said incredulously, taking in the sign welcoming them to the clinic.

"Someone musta had a sense of humor" said Gibbs as he brushed past them.

"Welcome to Lovers Leap."

The Director stepped out from the porch as the team climbed out of the truck. He was wearing long white, loose trousers and some kind of white cotton tunic. Tony wrinkled his nose at McGee, who grinned back.

"Yeah. About the name…" Tony began, only to be cut off by a head slap.

"Not now, DiNozzo. Special Agent Gibbs…" Gibbs shook the director's outstretched hand "These are Special Agents DiNozzo and McGee, and Officer David."

They all nodded their greeting.

"Karl Hunt" the Director of the Clinic stated before gesturing them to follow him inside.

"You will want to speak to Will Evans, I assume?" Karl asked.

Gibbs nodded. Truth be told he was very much looking forward to seeing his old friend again.

"Can my agents take a look around? Talk to some patients?" Gibbs asked.

Karl blanched for a second, before recovering himself.

"They are called_ guests,_ Agent Gibbs. You will need to run past me who you want to talk to; some of these people are in a very fragile state of mind."

He hardened his stare. Tony resisted the urge to laugh at Karl's attempt to frighten Gibbs.

"Of course, Karl. That's why McGee will be conducting the interviews."

"Oh Boss…seriously?" Tony whined. Ziva jammed her elbow into his side and he bit off any further complaints.

"I need the names of the victim's friends, Karl." Gibbs said, staring at the Director - who he swallowed nervously. "And I need them yesterday."

The Director scuttled off.

* * *

"God Jethro, thank the lord you're here." Will Evans exclaimed as he opened the door to his room and found Gibbs standing in the doorway, grinning lopsidedly.

"What the hell have you got yourself into, Will?" Gibbs asked as he stepping into his room. "Should I even ask why you're here in the first place?"

Will raked a hand through his graying hair. Brigadier Will Evans was a tall man, imposing some would say. His brown eyes gave the impression of a pushover, they were wide, and innocent and when he was younger, his hair used to fall into it. Now, his hair was shorter, cut in the same style as Gibbs'. The habits of Marines never died. He was built like a professional football player, but age had taken a slight toll and the beginnings of a beer gut were showing. Gibbs smiled easily at him.

"I don't know, Jethro." Will said, sitting down heavily on his bed. He sighed. Gibbs pulled a chair out from the desk in the room and sat in front of him. He put a friendly hand on his shoulder and Will turned his brown eyes towards Gibbs.

"Tell me what happened, Will."

* * *

"Why do you get to interview the sex mad woman, Probie?" Tony muttered as he and McGee set up the interview room. They had managed to get two rooms next to each other and had set up a makeshift observation room for Tony to watch from.

McGee shook his head, trying to hide a smile.

"I dunno. Maybe the boss thinks that you would take advantage?" McGee said.

Tony stood up from behind the interview table and scowled at him.

"Bite your tongue McGee! Of course I would take advantage of them, there is no _think_ about it...where is Ziva anyway?" He asked, ignoring McGee's eye roll.

"Interviewing male patients." He replied.

Tony scoffed.

"Great...you get to interview woman, Ziva gets to interview men. And me? I get to _watch_." he grumbled.

"I thought you liked to watch." McGee said as he opened to door to call in the first patient, giving Tony no opportunity to retaliate with a quick comment or head slap. Tony scowled as he walked out. His scowl turned to a leer as he walked passed the first interviewee.

He might as well have been a ghost because she didn't even spare him a glance.

McGee motioned to the chair.

"Please sit down, Miss..." He checked his notebook " Miss Shepard."

Miss Shepard sashayed into the room - gliding effortlessly into the chair and crossing her legs seductively. McGee swallowed and tugged at his tie as he he sat down opposite her and tried to look more professional than he felt.

"Special Agent McGee" he offered, holding out his hand for an instant and then retracting it when he realised that it was probably not the most prudent course of action under the circumstances.

The woman sitting in front of him stared at him as though he were an particularly fine specimen.

"It's Jen, and aren't you just ..._edible"_ she said, leaning across the table and giving him a view of unfettered breasts.

"So...uh...Miss Shepard," he stuttered.

Jen smiled dangerously and licked her lips slowly.

"What can you tell me about Rebecca Morton?" He asked.

Jen crossed her arms and sat back.

"She was my friend. We were as close as two women can be in here. There's always competition, you know " she stated matter-of-factly, twirling a lock of red hair around her fingers. "I think she was closer to a lot of other people, if you know what I mean."

McGee nodded and noted that down in his notebook.

He looked up to find her in his face.

"But then again ... we all take what we can get in here" she said conspiratorially.

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

* * *

"What can you tell me about her _relationships, _Miss... erm… Shepard?" McGee asked, trying very hard not to stare down the near perfect cleavage that was inches from his face.

Jen searched his face for a moment, before finally leaning back and pulling her bottom lip between her teeth.

"They were probably about as fulfilling as mine ... which is not very" she said, picking an imaginary piece of fluff from the front of her blouse.

She stood up suddenly, and McGee stood up also. She grinned dangerously, and as she walked around the table towards him he resisted the urge to take a step back.

"How can I put this?" she drawled, taking hold of the end of his tie. "People in here ... well ... none of them are particularly ... adventurous."

She walked her fingers up his tie slowly and provocatively.

McGee tried to step away, but found that he had backed himself, literally, into a corner.

Jen smiled, and her voice took on a wistful tone.

"Even if I pay them, Agent McGee, they mostly don't live up to expectations" she said as she tugged him closer by his tie.

McGee gulped, secretly wishing Tony would burst in to rescue him - even as he mentally slapped himself for the fact that he needed rescuing from a beautiful woman. But Tony was in the other room watching - and he already knew he was never going to hear the end of this one.

"Are you listening to me, Agent McGee?"

His attention wandered back to his precarious situation.

"Yes ma'am." he said - more out of fear than gentlemanly inclinations.

"You on the other hand...well...let's just say that I believe that under that..._innocent_ exterior…lies a beast of untold potential just waiting to be unleashed."

She tugged on his tie again, bringing his face just inches from her own. She licked her lips again and he was almost sure she was leaning in to lick his.

"Question is … are you up to the challenge, Special Agent McGee?" she said instead.

For a moment McGee was lost in her green eyes. But suddenly the thought that Tony was in the other room, possibly recording this part of the conversation, was enough to snap him from his trance.

He pushed her back gently and straightened his tie.

"I'm a federal agent, ma'am. This is inappropriate."

"Inappropriate as in _I can't do this now but I'll look you up when my boss is looking the other way_? Inappropriate as in _I'm too much of a gentleman_? Or inappropriate as in _I can't risk being caught with my pants down_?"

McGee made the mistake of looking into her eyes again.

They were mesmerizing.

"Don't you like me, Agent McGee?" she said with the most incredible pout he had ever seen.

"This interview is over" he replied, closing his notebook and putting his pen back into his jacket pocket.

"What a pity..." Jen said. "And I never even got to tell you what I know."

McGee looked up sharply.

"You gotta give a little to take a little, Agent McGee" she said. "I'm sorry we couldn't help each other out."

She shrugged and turned away from him.

For a moment McGee felt the sting of obvious dismissal a lot more than he should have - and he was still standing there staring at her when the door opened and Tony popped his head round the door.

"Gibbs wants you" he said. "I'll take over."

* * *

"What was that McGee?" Gibbs asked as McGee practically ran into him. He stared down at him as the younger agent looked back once over his shoulder and then took a deep breath. Gibbs kept staring at him as McGee opened and closed his mouth, attempting to put into words what had happened.

"Cat got your tongue, McGee?"

McGee shook his head and took another deep breath.

"She … uh … she … she ... she propositioned me boss." McGee managed to stutter.

Gibbs raised an amused eyebrow.

"Propositioned you?" Gibbs asked, looking too amused for McGee's liking.

"She practically ate me alive, Boss!" McGee cried.

Gibbs patted him on the shoulder, steering him towards the recording room.

"Um ... did DiNozzo record everything?" McGee asked.

His voice was small, and Gibbs had to resist the urge to laugh.

"Uh-huh" he said as he held the door open and gestured him inside.

"There is no way I am going to live this down, is there boss?"

He turned and looked at the older man, and could have sworn there was a mischievous hint of amusement in those blue eyes - even if he looked impassive.

"Nope."

* * *

"So what can you tell me that you didn't tell Agent McGee?" Tony asked, leaning forward.

Jen gave him a withering look, pushed her chair slightly away from the table, and crossed her legs.

"What do you want to know?" she asked, sounding incredibly bored.

Tony frowned.

"I want to know anything you can tell me about Rebecca Morton" he said.

Jen glanced towards him, dragging her eyes away from her nails.

"Do you have a nail file?" she asked.

Tony shook his head and looked momentarily stumped.

"Um…no. Answer the question please, Miss Shepard."

"I bet Agent McGee would have had one." she muttered, studying her nails again.

Tony knew he shouldn't have risen to that, but it irked him that the woman had taken such a liking to McGee.

"Why have you taken such a liking to Agent McGee, ma'am? "

As if she could read his mind, Jen curled her top lip and spoke.

"Don't flatter yourself, Agent ... DiNozzo" she said as she leaned over to read his name tag. "You're not my type."

"Really?" He couldn't resist asking the next question, "And what exactly would your type be?"

He spared a thought for the headslap he knew would be forthcoming as soon as he left the room, but his eyes were drawn back to the redhead in front of him.

Jen raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow. She stood up and walked round the table - sitting down on it, opposite Tony.

"I like someone who is experienced in how to deal with women, not someone who _pretends _to be. Someone who cares about what makes them tick. It's not all about being good in the sack. Everyone can be a stud with the right encouragement. Now be a good little boy, and go get your superior for me."

She sat back in her chair - turning her back on him as she started to inspect her cuticles again.

Tony couldn't think of anything to say to her as he walked out.

"She wants to see you boss" he grumbled as he walked through the door to the room next door.

"Finding it hard to get anything out of her, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked.

Tony let out a small sarcastic laugh before his face fell.

"Be careful Boss. She's a man eate ... and not the 'whoa hoa here she comes' type. The actual 'she will eat you alive' type."

Gibbs looked him up and down for a drawn-out moment.

"That'll be the day" he replied as he pushed the door to the room open.

* * *

Jen whipped her head around and locked eyes with Gibbs as she stood from her seat.

"Wow. I thought Agent McGee was special. But you … you really are."

"Sit down, Miss Shepard."

"You like to take charge Agent …?" she said - looking expectantly at him, as he stood toe to toe with her and met her gaze head on.

"Gibbs."

She batted her eyelashes once, and then let her gaze drift down his body.

"Now I don't know what you did to scare my other agents, but it won't work on me."

She leant forward, flashing a smile and a glimpse of cleavage. Gibbs's gaze flicked down to it and straight back to her face, as he sat down and gestured for her to do the same.

"Oh really?" she breathed.

Gibbs leant forward and met her in the middle of the table; their faces inches from each other.

"Really." He said and sat back down. "So I suggest you button up your shirt. It's draughty in this place. Wouldn't want you to catch your death."

Jen pouted again as she crossed her arms.

"I'm not going to play your games, Miss Shepard. Answer my questions or I will have you arrested for obstruction of justice" Gibbs stated, hardening his gaze.

Jen licked her lips slowly, as if contemplating.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, Agent Gibbs ..." she replied slowly. "But to the best of my knowledge, only someone who _knowingly interferes_ with the work of police officers, investigators, or government agencies, can be charged with obstruction of justice. I'm not interfering with anything. And besides ... games can be fun."

Gibbs took out a picture from the folder and placed it on the table in front of her.

"Does this look like a game, Miss Shepard?" he demanded.

Jen picked up the photo and the first flicker of human emotion crossed her face.

"I don't need to see that" she said, placing it back on the table. "I know what happened to Rebecca."

Gibbs' gaze snapped to hers.

"And you were planning on telling me this … when?" he asked.

Jen stood up and straightened her skirt.

"When you asked specifically. And nicely. You never asked that question, Agent Gibbs. Neither did any of your agents."

Her voice had suddenly taken on a subtly different cadence - and Gibbs struggled to pinpoint where the change lay.

She raised her leg onto the table as she spoke - unfastening and refastening a sandal straps. Gibbs' gaze travelled the length of her leg, before finally resting on her thigh.

He shook his head to clear it and stood up. Perhaps DiNozzo was right about this one, he thought.

Jen put her leg down and stumbled.

Instinctively Gibbs put out a hand to support her.

"You either row or you use your arms a lot …" she speculated, running a hand down his right bicep.

He tried to stare her down, and when it didn't work her self satisfied grin had him shrugging her off and pointing at her seat.

"Sit. Talk. Now" he ordered.

She pursed her lips and sat down.

"Ever heard of _autoerotic asphyxiation_, Agent Gibbs?"

Gibbs blinked.

"Come again..." he said, cursing his choice of words immediately.

Jen smiled lazily.

"Oh believe me, Agent Gibbs, I would if you would let me."

Gibbs rolled his eyes, shifting uncomfortably.

This woman definitely had a way with words - her voice was like silk against his skin. Jen lifted her arms, gathered her hair at the back of her head, closed her eyes and rolled her neck. She sighed gently and Gibbs tore his gaze away from the line of her throat with difficulty as she opened her eyes again.

"Autoerotic asphyxiation is when one intentionally cuts of the oxygen supply to the brain." she explained, staring at Gibbs.

"Why?" Gibbs asked.

Jen chuckled and stood up again.

"Why? Oh Agent Gibbs … the things I could teach you."

She walked around behind him, and before he could turn around her arms came around and lay flat against the table, her breasts pressed into his back.

"It heightens the ... orgasm." she breathed into his ear.

And that was when he decided it was time he moved.

"And this is relevant to the case ... how?" he asked, pushing away from the table.

She grinned at him, and Gibbs forcibly sat her back down in her chair. She pouted up at him and raised her eyebrows as he gave her a patented Gibbs stare.

"Don't give me the stare" she said - a flash of fire in her eyes. "I'm not one of your junior agents. Besides, I've already told you … games can be fun."

"Not when they end in death, Miss Shepard."

* * *

_Thank you everyone for your reviews!_

_V and E_


	4. Chapter 4

"God…haven't they heard of air conditioning down here?" Tony complained as the team walked through the door of the apartment after dinner.

Gibbs slammed the door shut, causing McGee to jump slightly. Tony grinned at him, evidently taking pleasure in the fact that McGee was still so jumpy.

"Right. DiNozzo, one more complaint out of you and I will slap you into next week. Sit down all of you. I wanna go through what we found out today."

The team sat down immediately, Tony looking suitably chastised.

"Ziva .. you go first" Gibbs said. But Ziva was too busy observing Tony to realise that she was being asked to speak.

McGee nudged her.

"Who interviewed Jennifer Shepard?" she asked suddenly.

"The _edible_ probie here ..." Tony replied bitterly.

"And Tony .." McGee chimed in with a grin.

"I'm surprised she even gave you the time of day, Tony" the Israeli replied.

Tony glared at her and she stuck out her tongue at him after a nice, healthy smirk. The smirk turned to a grin as she took in his silence.

"She didn't, did she? She just ignored you."

Ziva laughed, and Tony glared again;crossing his arms and sulking like a child.

"She didn't ignore me but ... hang on, how do you know?" he asked, suddenly wary. "Probie ..." he said threateningly.

"It merely confirms what the guests I interviewed said about her" said Ziva, her grin growing wider by the second.

"Why were you talking about Jennifer Shepard instead of Rebecca Morton?" Gibbs wanted to know.

Ziva shrugged.

"Apparently they were inseparable and lots of the guests turned to Rebecca when Jenny, as they call her, wouldn't accommodate them. Apparently she's _picky_. Quite a a few of the men, and even some of the women" she said, looking pointedly at Tony who glared yet again "are fixated with her. It is something I do not understand. What is it about women like her? They know she does not want them and yet it makes no difference. It only makes them want her more. Tony?"

Ziva glanced at him, amusement flashing in her eyes.

"It's a clinic for the treatment of sex addiction, Zee-vah" he said sarcastically. "There are no boundaries."

"But you were not in rehab - and yet you were very attracted to her, yes? Tell me why ..."

Tony was saved from answering when the computer beeped and the livefeed system that McGee had managed to set up came to life.

Abby's bouncing form filled the screen as she jumped from foot to foot and waved manically.

"Gibbs!" she practically screamed. Gibbs grimaced as McGee and Tony looked on fondly.

"Whatcha got Abs?" he asked, noting that she looked particularly pleased with herself as she glanced at Ducky.

"Do you want to tell them Duck man, or shall I?" she asked.

Ducky patted her on the shoulder.

"You can tell them Abigail." Ducky replied, and Abby's face broke into an even wider grin.

"Ducky, that is so sweet. You know, there aren't enough gentlemen in the world. Well ... apart from you Gibbs, of course. And you Timmy. But apart from that, I don't know what happened to them and …."

"Today, Abs ..." Gibbs warned; and Abby stopped babbling, blowing a kiss at Tony instead when she realised he was sulking.

"Sorry, Gibbs. So .. I ran the bloodwork. No trace of any drugs. And before you ask, yes I ran it again. I also ran an … _intercourse_ … kit" she said, ignoring Gibbs's eyes roll. "AND … I found not one but _two_ DNA profiles. One matches your friend, and the other is unknown. Presumably someone in the clinic though because according to her records she wasn't allowed visitors."

Gibbs pinched the bridge of his nose - the headache from earlier still threatening to explode. Will had confessed to having sex with Rebecca - a fact that Gibbs needed to keep out of the media. But he'd also sworn that he hadn't been with her when she died.

"Ducky…can you tell which sample was there first?" Gibbs asked.

Ducky's face came back onto the screen with a thoughtful expression.

"The unknown sample was actually on her clothes, Gibbs." Abby piped up from the sidelines.

"But, as far as I can tell, she had intercourse with Brigadier Evans about seventeen hours before she died." Ducky said.

Gibbs sighed, feeling good about something for the first time since they arrived. His moment was shattered by Di Nozzo.

"_Seventeen hours_?" he said, rustling through papers. "Time of death is listed as 11pm. They were already up and at it at six in the morning?" he said incredulously.

"I'dve though there were strict rules about pussyfooting" Abby said - and cringed when Gibbs glared at her. "Sorry Gibbs ... I meant to say visiting each other's rooms."

"Duck…" Gibbs began slowly, wishing that he could talk to Ducky alone right now, especially considering he had put a ban on sex talk. "What do you know about autoerotic asphyxiation?"

Ducky frowned. Tony, Ziva and McGee stared opened-mouthed at him, but nobody dared say anything. There was a pregnant pause before Abby broke the silence.

"Gibbs … you dark horse!"

She waggled her eyebrows and then pointed a finger at him. "It's dangerous Gibbs. Lots of risks involved" she said, crossing her arms and looking sternly at him.

Tony turned a laugh into a cough as Gibbs glared at him.

"Sure you want to give the kids ideas, Jethro?" Ducky asked.

Gibbs chuckled and turned back to Abby.

"And the risks _are_, Abs?" he asked.

Abby pointed a finger at the screen.

"I don't want you taking my words and using them literally Gibbs. There are other ways to get your rocks off."

Ziva's eyes widened even more and Tony choked on his coffee. Gibbs rolled his eyes and glared at Abby. She stared back at him before crossing her arms once more.

"Fine. But it's not my fault if …"

She trailed off as Ducky nudged her, indicating that she should get back on subject, and fast, if Gibbs' face was anything to go by.

"Right. _Gaspers_ … as we're … I mean they're known, participate in the practice of cutting off the blood supply to the brain whilst masturbating or engaging in sexual intercourse. Basically the lack of oxygen makes for a better high - because inbetween causing dizziness and euphoria, it lowers your inhibitions. Um … not that I would … know personally .. or anything. But that is what they say ... and ... um .. ."

Abby trailed off, a faint pink blush coloring her cheeks.

"That it, Abs?" Gibbs asked.

Abby swallowed and looked at Ducky before starting to speak again.

"Well, a lot of people do it alone, which contributes to the high number of deaths it causes. Cos .. rigging up a failsafe device doesn't always work and then you're left hanging … literally. Did you know that many suicides in teenage boys are attributed to this? Police miss the signs, or family members clean up the scene." Abby rambled. "What? What's the matter?"

Tony was staring at her with what could only be described as awe. McGee looked decidedly embarrassed, and Ziva was nodding like she knew exactly what Abby was talking about.

Gibbs sighed.

"Why do you ask, Jethro?" Ducky asked.

"Do people indulge in this kind of thing as a game?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes" replied Ducky.

Gibbs nodded sharply.

"We have to talk to Jenny again" was the only satisfaction Ducky and Abby got.

"Jenny?" the team said in unison.

Gibbs' head snapped up, and any amusement in their eyes faded immediately.

"We're heading back to the clinic now" he said as he reached out and killed the connection to autopsy.

"Jethro!" Will exclaimed as he opened his door a short while later. "What brings you here at this hour of the night?"

Gibbs smiled warily.

"Interrupting something, Will?" Gibbs asked, trying to look around the door frame as Will stepped out into the hallway.

"Uh…no." he said.

Gibbs quirked an eyebrow and Will sighed.

"Christ Jethro, you've gotta keep this quiet. If my wife finds out…"

"Your wife?" Gibbs interrupted. "Where the hell does she think you are?"

Will let out a strained laugh.

"That's not what I mean. She knows where I am … and why. But she thinks I am being cured."

Will sighed and ran a hand through his graying hair.

"Jethro I'm in over my head" he confessed. "I just can't seem to help myself. This place is a sham. There's no help here. There's therapy, sure. But it's like a big playground once the lights go out. And everyone seems to be ... willing. I've lost my grip on reality."

"Will, I need to ask you something." Gibbs said, staring straight at him. "And I need you to be honest with me."

Will shrugged and nodded.

"Did you and Rebecca ever indulge in .. games?" he asked.

Will frowned.

"What kinds of games Jethro? What are you getting at? You mean like roleplay or threesomes or stuff like that?"

Gibbs waited and Will pondered for a moment before speaking again.

"Definitely not threesomes. I don't share Jethro - you know that. But she was big into roleplay."

"Autoerotic games, Will" Gibbs said carefully.

"What!? With pantyhose and stuff?"

"I need the truth, Will."

"Is that what killed her?"

His voice took on a pained expression, and he squeezed his eyes shut and pressed on them with trembling fingers.

Gibbs shrugged.

"She … wanted me to. I think she did it with others. But I never ... I never did. I swear on Marie's life."

Gibbs nodded. Satisfied - because Will only swore on his daughters life when he was telling God's honest truth.

"But you had sex with her the day she died."

"The morning of, yes. But I already told you that earlier."

Will walked away before pivoting on his heel and coming back to where Gibbs was standing.

"I knew it was going to get her in trouble one day. God, Jethro, if this gets out…"

He left the comment hanging, knowing that Gibbs would know the mess it would cause.

Gibbs nodded and carried on.

"Any idea if she was seeing anyone else?" Gibbs asked. Will shook his head.

"I dunno. Probably. She was ... God .. she was insatiable. One of the worst in here. Wouldn't take no for an answer, you know. Get to the bottom of this, Jethro" Will said, turning to open his door. "Please. I need to get outta here. I gotta get myself somewhere stable, and I can't before you put this story to rest."

Gibbs put a hand on his friend's shoulder, and was about to answer when an irate voice sounded to his left.

"Agent Gibbs. Security is practically being held hostage by your team" Karl Hunt said irately. "What else can we help you with that can't wait till morning?" he asked.

Gibbs stared at him and shifted on the balls of his feet.

"We are investigating a potential murder, Dr Hunt. If I need to show up here at three in the morning, I will. I need answers" he said, brushing past him.

The Director managed to get in front of him.

"Who exactly do you need to speak to, Agent Gibbs?" he asked, as he blocked Gibbs' way.

"Miss Jennifer Shepard." he said, addressing the nurse at the desk. "Room number please."

The nurse glanced momentarily at him before replying.

"She's not here" she said.

"She's cured! It's a miracle!" Tony quipped.

Gibbs glared at him.

"Jenny is a day guest. There are several people like her. They are aware of their addiction and check themselves in, voluntarily, every day. She usually stays over at the weekend, because that is when we have our group bonding seminars - but she goes home during the week." Karl said, his eyes flicking to Ziva, who was slowly advancing on him.

"We will need her address please" Ziva said, taking another step towards Karl. He swallowed and glanced nervously at her, but he stood his ground.

"No" he stated. "That would violate our patient confidentiality agreement."

"I thought she was a guest" said McGee.

"She is neither a suspect nor is she dead. And you have no warrant. She will be here in the morning. She is always one of the first people to arrive. Usually between six-thirty and seven – in time to have breakfast with the others. You can ask her questions to your heart's content then" the Director answered. "But until that time I must ask you not to return here. Many of our guests are _fragile_" he said, lowering his voice as he looked around at the people who had drifted into the area. "Please don't upset them."

Gibbs glared at him but the man didn't back down.

"Back to your rooms, people" he said to the guests. "There's nothing to see here. These people were just leaving."

Gibbs stared after him as he walked away, and then did the same. Heading for the front door.

The team scrambled to catch up with him.

"Boss?" Tony asked - a bit surprised that Gibbs hadn't been more forceful.

"Di Nozzo?"

"That's it?"

"No. As soon as we get back to the apartment McGee's going to hack into their system and get me the address of Jennifer Shepard."

Twenty minutes later, Tony and Mcgee huddled around the latter's laptop.

"Oh Probie, you do realize what we are doing here, don't you?" Tony asked, leaning over McGee's head to look at the screen. McGee shrugged off his weight and carried on typing, his forehead wrinkling in concentration.

Tony slapped the back of his head.

"Oww! What was that for?"

"Pay attention to the Senior Field Agent when he's talking to you."

"Yes Tony," McGee sighed, "I _know_ what we're doing."

He managed to sound bored whilst still typing. "Especially considering I am the one doing it."

"No back chat, probie. We … my _edible_ friend, are jacking into personal files of mentally unstable sex addicts. It's like all my Christmas's rolled into one."

Tony rubbed his hands together, and McGee rolled his eyes and went back to hacking into Lovers Leap's patient records.

"We're in" he suddenly announced, standing up so fast that he slammed the back of the chair into Tony – who tumbled into Gibbs' path.

"Just bringing up her details now, Boss."

McGee pressed a few keys as Gibbs stepped over Tony and came around the other side of McGee.

"Jennifer Shepard checked in voluntarily three months ago. She pays up front, in cash, every month. His eyes scanned the folder's contents. Apparently her one-on-one therapist recommended she get rid of her credit cards because she spent most of her money on … uh …"

He trailed off, a faint blush spreading across his cheeks.

"On what, McGee?" Gibbs said, squinting at the screen.

"Uh ... online porn subscriptions mostly"

Gibbs hid the fact that he was choking on his coffee.

"Oh and … sex hotlines and…um … pay-per-view porn" McGee aded.

Gibbs stared at the screen for a few seconds, and Tony patted him on the back.

"I'm impressed too, Boss" he said.

"Why? Because someone spends more money on porn than you do, DiNozzo?" Ziva asked, reclining on the couch and crossing her arms with a smirk.

"McGee. Social Security Number. I wanna know what this woman does for a living that she can take three months off her job and pay in cash" Gibbs demanded.

"No Social Security number on record, Boss" McGee piped up.

"Is that normal?" Ziva asked.

"You're not obliged to give that information" replied McGee. "You're just opening yourself up to identity theft if you do."

"Is there an address? A contact number?" asked Gibbs somewhat impatiently.

"No cell, so I can't trace her records through her service provider. Let me check the rest of her details now. Here we are – an address in downtown Scottsdale .. "

He scribbled it down on a piece of paper, and handed it to Gibbs.

"And an email address. We should be able to track down where it was last accessed from – in the event that she doesn't have internet at home."

"Right. You and Di Nozzo get on it. Ziva you're with me. Let's pay Miss Shepard a visit."


	5. Chapter 5

* * *

"Come on Probie ... you know you want to" Tony urged, squeezing his shoulder encouragingly.

"Actually I don't" McGee replied, shrugging the hand off.

"Would it help if I took responsibility?"

"She is not a suspect, Tony. We can't just break into her account. It's ... unconstitutional."

Tony took a deep breath.

"Do it!" he said, his patience snapping.

"_Bite me!_" said McGee.

"Don't think I won't" his colleague replied.

"Phone's gonna ring any second now ..."

"Which phone?"

"That one ..." Tony said as McGee's cell phone went off. He peered over his shoulder as Tim checked the ID.

"It's Gibbs ..." he said in awe. "How'd you know?"

"Ha!" said Tony triumphantly. "Maybe you answer him, McScaredy ... "

McGee snapped out of his amazement.

"Yeah Boss .." he said as he raised the phone to his ear.

Gibbs voice thundered down the line.

"Get into her email account and track her down McGee."

"No luck with the address?" Tim asked.

"We are sitting in front of a condemned building. That answer your question? I want to know where she accesses email from."

"It could take a while, Boss" said McGee, holding the phone up with his shoulder while he tapped frantically at his keyboard.

"You've got ten minutes McGee. Call me when you've got a location."

"On it Bo -"

The line went dead.

"Tony .. breathing down my collar is not going to make me work faster."

"Wanna bet?"

"This is going to take a while. Or ... maybe not" McGee said, after a few moments.

"You're in already?"

Tony slapped him on the shoulder with glee as McGee started opening up emails, scanning them for content, and clicking on the links they contained.

"What kind of name is _redheadedaretifist?_" Tony asked as they the user ID and password for website Jennifer Shepard was a member of.

"I'm guessing it comes from ... _arestifism_" said McGee cautiously.

"Which _is_?"

"A sexual attraction to people who are without .. footwear" McGee said as he accessed her website account and checked out her profile.

Tony's jaw dropped.

"She's _into_ all that stuff?"

"Guess so ..." McGee replied.

"What the hell is _Nyotaimori?"_

"I have no idea" admitted McGee – who had already moved onto something else.

Tony brushed his hands off the keyboard and opened up another window. He googled the word and then stood back from the keyboard.

"_Nyotaimori_ is often referred to as _body sushi_" he read aloud, "and is the practice of eating sushi or sashimi from the body of a woman who is typically naked. This kind if fetish is a subdivision of _food play._ As a result of being served on a human body, the temperature of the sushi or sashimi comes closer to body temperature, which some may see as a disadvantage or a benefit."

He looked at McGee in partial shock.

"We're dealing with a psycho" he said.

But McGee didn't answer. He looked like he was a million miles away.

"What?" Tony asked.

"I'll never look at sushi the same way again" Tim said with smile.

"Get back to work, Probie!" Tony said, hitting the back of his head.

"Here we are ..." McGee said as his computer beeped.

He picked out his cell phone and dialed Gibbs' number.

"Her account last accessed from a place on North Main Street."

"That's just one block away from this building right here" Gibbs said, as he got out of the car and started walking without hanging up.

"Boss ... you there?" called McGee after a few moments.

"Put it on speaker" Tony said – and McGee obliged.

"You sure you got the right address, McGee?"

"Yeah Boss. Why?"

"It's a gentleman's club."

"Erm ... maybe she works there nights?"

"As a pole dancer" Tony suggested with a grin on his face.

"Lots of gentleman's clubs have internet access, Boss" explained McGee. "They offer a kind of chat service where men can .. erm .. chat with girls before they actually meet them."

"I do not wanna know how you know this, McGee. The account was definitely accessed from this place?" Gibbs said, as he pushed the door open and went in.

"Every time, Boss."

"We'll check it out. In the meantime see what else you can find out from that account."

As he hung up Tony scrambled to get back to the computer first. He clicked on Jen's profile again and started scrolling through her preferred fetishes.

"I've never heard of most of this stuff" he said. "_Frotteurism_?"

"I'm guessing that's maybe some other kind of food play" said McGee. "Maybe something to do with fruit?"

"And you'd be wrong McGee" Tony said, as he googled the word. "_Frotteurism_ involves the non-consensual rubbing against another person to achieve sexual arousal. The contact is usually with the hands or the genitals and may involve touching any part of the body including the genital area. The majority of _frotteurs_ - they're called _frotteurs_? Sounds like a milkshake .. anyway, the majority of _frotteurs _are male ... although female on male and male on male _frotteurs_ exist."

* * *

It was about an hour later when Gibbs and Ziva burst through the door of the apartment, making tony and McGee jump guiltily at the fact they were still salivating over the _interesting_ details they had found about about Jennifer Shepard. Gibbs spared them a curious glance before retreating to the kitchen, needing coffee..._anything _to take his mind off the information he had just found.

Ziva looked at tony and McGee.

"Well, that was certainly an experience." Ziva said, throwing herself down on the couch as Tony looked expectantly at her and McGee glanced nervously at the kitchen. They all flinched at the sound of breaking crockery.

"Boss seems..._testy" _Tony noted. Ziva snorted.

"Well, after the hour we had, you cannot blame him." She said. Tony sat down next to her.

"Give us all the gory details...don't leave _anything_ out."

* * *

Gibbs sighed as the mug slipped out of his hands and landed with a crash on the floor. He decided to leave it and the rapidly cooling coffee for someone else to clear up. He grabbed a bottle of beer from the fridge, silently thanking Tony for thinking ahead.

"No one would tell us anything." He heard Ziva say. He sighed again, not wanting to talk about it, or hear about it. That bought images into his mind that he had no desire to see.

"So...what does she do there...pole dancing? Please tell me she pole dances." Tony asked.

"I do not know, Tony. She _performs, _that is all they would tell us. Apparently they are very protective of their _Scarlet_." Gibbs practically saw the look on Tony's face.

"Scarlet?" He asked, "Her name's Jennifer."

"I know Tony, but her _stage_ name is Scarlet. In return for her _performances_ they let her use the internet." Ziva said. Gibbs pressed fingers into his temples, the headache wasn't threatening anymore, it was a full blown attack on his cranium.

"So how did the Boss take all this?" Tony asked.

"I would imagine that is obvious Tony." Gibbs had enough. He finished the beer that was currently clutched in his tight grip. He grabbed another one from the fridge and stormed through the living room outside, ignoring the looks for the team. As he was closing the sliding door, he tried to block out the whispers that were floating from the kids.

Gibbs rotated his neck and sat at the wooden table in the back yard.

He felt the presence when it was still several feet away, and immediately reached for his gun.

"Don't shoot ... I surrender" a voice said mockingly, as its owner slipped into view.

Gibbs reholstered his weapon slowly and stared at the new arrival..

"Miss Shepard" he said slowly.

"Do you think we could possibly go with _Jen_? Formality is a bit of a drag - especially at this hour of the night" she said as she sat on the table and placed her legs on the bench he was sitting on.

He stared at her as she placed her elbows on her knees and rested her chin on her palms.

"Will said you were looking for me" she said slowly. "He gave me the address. Said it was important that I should speak to you tonight. What is it that you think I can help you with?"

"Lets start with the fact that you gave a false address" Gibbs said instead – not wanting to admit to himself that the fact that she was potentially physically involved with Will bothered the life out of him.

Jen stared at him for a moment – and then her eyes narrowed.

"Well, well. I wonder where you got that little bit of information" she said slowly. "You wouldn't have coerced that information out of the head nurse by any chance?"

Gibbs waited.

"The address is false because it's nobody's business where I spend my nights, Agent Gibbs."

Gibbs eyes widened – the truth finally dawning on him.

"You sleep at the clinic. You share Will's room ..." he said with difficulty. Jen observed him with interest.

"Will and I have ... _an agreement_" she said.

"That simple huh?"

"Agreements are about as simple or as complicated as we wish make them, Agent Gibbs."

For a moment Gibbs felt a flare of anger sear through him. Anger at Will – because in his position there were no simple agreements; anger at himself because he was far too unsettled by the images in his head of Jen writhing beneath Will; irrational anger at the woman sitting in front of him.

The only reprieve from it came through the deep sadness he felt for the good woman that Will had left at home while he sought a treatment which was no treatment at all.

He was about to take a swig of his beer when she reached for his hand. In one deft move she liberated him of the bottle and poured its contents into the ground. Before Gibbs could say anything she reached to her side into a paper bag she'd brought with her.

"I brought some good stuff" she said, opening a bottle of bourbon and refilling the beer bottle with it.

Gibbs took it back from her and raised it to his lips.

"Are you always this grumpy?" she asked with a huff. "Not been getting your share, by any chance?"

Gibbs kept his eye on her and took another mouthful. Anything but look into her eyes.

"Oh. My. God. You haven't been, have you?"

"I need to know what can you tell me about Rebecca Morton and the games she played. I'm asking nicely."

Jen pondered the question for a while.

"There are those people who only have to think about sex and they want immediate gratification. They need it. It's what makes them tick. The sex drive is so intense that it ... it interferes with your thought processes. It dominates your every mo– Agent Gibbs please stop looking at my mouth."

Gibbs' eyes snapped to hers, and for a moment he saw something in them that he'd hadn't seen before. A flicker of real need. And just for a second he couldn't breathe, because the feeling was so intense and so real that he didn't know who's need it was. Hers or his.

She looked back at him as thought she could see right through to his thoughts;but just when he was sure she was going to say something about the matter, she was back on topic.

"It's hard to work and it's hard to be in personal relationships, and it's ... it's all too easy to take risks with your body. Look what it got Rebecca."

"You sure she was alone when she died?"

"I know she was" Jen answered. "Something must have gone wrong and she was left alone. She wouldn't have engaged in this without a captive audience."

"How do you know?"

"Because she was an exhibitionist, Agent Gibbs. She loved to perform. She had people lined up."

Gibbs resisted the urge to tell her that the people lining up were her own cast-offs because he didn't know what purpose it would possibly serve. And he suspected he was already in a little bit over his head – and making this personal.

"For some reason she was left alone towards the end. Otherwise this would never have happened. She knew never to be alone just before her orgasm. I made her promise she would never do that kind of thing on her own. Rebecca was many things that you might find unsavory, but she wasn't a risk-taker in that respect."

"Are _you_?" Gibbs asked before he could stop himself.

"That sounded terribly like a personal question, Agent Gibbs. I'm not a suspect here."

Gibbs shrugged.

"You don't think very highly of me, do you?" she asked, as she drank some bourbon straight out of the bottle.

"You have information I need " Gibbs said as he watched the liquid make its way down her throat - shocked to discover his fingers itching to graze its linear path.

"Have you never been obsessed with anyone, Agent Gibbs?" she asked suddenly, her voice earnest and full of pain. "So obsessed that all you do all day is fantasize about them – even if you know you'll be seeing them in a few hours?"

She looked intently at him.

"You have no idea what it's like to know someone so intimately that you crave them all the time?"

Gibbs looked at her – unable to formulate any sentences.

"You've never met anyone and had your palms turn clammy just thinking about her? Had your breath quicken whenever she crosses your mind? Want to possess her?"

She looked at his left hand.

"Not married" she observed. "And yet I'm almost sure you have been. Or at the very least you've been around the block a few times."

"Is this ... going anywhere?" Gibbs asked, trying to sound dry.

"Maybe. But I have a word of advice for you, Agent Gibbs."

"And that would be?"

"Don't look at me so impassively"

"_Because_ ... ?"

"It makes me want you more than I already do" she replied simply.

"That line would only work on someone like Di Nozzo" Gibbs retorted, feeling the tug of her words despite himself.

"I eat men like Di Nozzo for breakfast" she said with a slight sneer.

She shifted on the table till she was sitting right in front of him, and before he could make any kind of move she had dropped her heels and was pressing the ball of her right foot gently into his groin.

"You make me throb in places I can't mention out loud. And for all your macho crap ... I know you know that. The question is .. what does it do for you?"

Gibbs didn't answer. He merely reached for her foot and made to move it off him. Maybe it was the rasp of his skin against hers, or maybe it was the gentleness inherent in his touch. But whatever it was, the effect was immediate. He heard the way her breath caught, and when he lifted his eyes to her face she was biting down on her bottom lip.

"Don't do that if you don't want me" she said. And the huskiness in her voice made him want to pull her into his lap and drown himself in her.

With a mind all their own his hands were already caressing her thighs when he heard McGee's cough and his small, embarrassed voice.

"Er – Boss ... Abby ... Abby's on the line ..."

* * *


	6. Chapter 6

Gibbs stood up stiffly - knowing that pulling Jen into his lap and kissing her till he forgot why he shouldn't was not the best course of action, and yet resenting the interruption.

McGee cleared his throat and excused himself, and Gibbs glanced at Jen who stared back at him - her face suddenly unreadable.

"Duty calls, Agent Gibbs" she said, and for a moment Gibbs wasn't sure which one of them she was talking about. He shook off the irrational streak of jealousy that settled nicely in the pit of his stomach as he wondered whether she meant herself and her cushy little job and the club, and nodded once.

She slipped off the bench. His hands fisted at his sides with the desire to touch her, but he held back. She placed two small hands on the lapels of his jacket and stood on tip toes.

"Call me if you get lonely" she breathed, her lips millimeters from his.

"He's coming Abby" He heard McGee placate the irrepressible, goth and sighed.

He detached Jen's hands from his clothes and took a step back.

A hint of a smile graced her face as she leaned back against the table and watched him run a hand over his face and walk away.

"Whatcha got, Abs?" he asked. The tone of his voice was obviously not as under control as he had hoped, because Abby's face fell.

"Aren't you pleased to see me Gibbs?" Gibbs sighed and tried to smile.

"Always, Abs..."

He trailed off, not wanting to risk an upset Abby. Her smile immediately reappeared.

"Well ... Mr Karl Hunt is a naughty man, Gibbs. I've been looking into his past. He's from New York state. Hunt is his mothers maiden name. He started using it after being arrested _for_ ... you'll never guess."

She grinned. Tony leant forward in his seat, and McGee smiled at her.

"For what Abs?" Gibbs asked.

"Come on Gibbs ... guess" she pleaded.

"Abs..." Gibbs warned.

She sighed.

"You're no fun anymore, Gibbs."

"Today, Abby."

"Fine" she huffed. "he was arrested for public nudity. Arrested after streaking through a convent school in Connecticut during Vespers. Apparently the nuns didn't take too kindly to him defiling the chapel, and the girls weren't that impressed either. He also got arrested for exposing himself to a group on nuns in Central Park a year later."

Tony choked on his beer and Ziva's eyes widened. McGee had the grace to blush slightly.

"Anything else Abs?" Gibbs asked.

"What do you mean _anything else_? Isn't this big enough? I thought it was huge...he gets arrested for streaking in a convent school, exposing himself to nuns...obviously he has a thing about nuns."

"And now he's the Director of a clinic for sex addicts" Tony said, sounding stunned.

"Is there not an expression?" asked Ziva.

"What expression?" asked McGee.

"The keeper of a madhouse is the maddest one of all?"

Gibbs frowned, his mind trying to recall something. But Abby cut into his thoughts.

"A few of the guests have really weird addictions as well Gibbs . "And I mean weird by my standards. One of the male guests has a thing about women sneezing. Every time a woman sneezes around him, he gets an erection."

Tony choked again.

"He must have a perpetual hard-on when allergy season rolls around" McGee observed.

"And one of the women has a thing about nylon jackets. She can't control herself when someone around her is wearing nylon, male _or _female."

"Just jackets? Because ... you know ... stockings can be made of nylon" Tony observed.

"I don't know Tony .. but I can -"

"Abby" Gibbs interrupted, something on his mind. "Can you check the records to see if there were any incidents at the clinic the night that Rebecca Morton died?"

Abby spun in her chair, a complete turn, before stopping, liking her fingers and cracking the joints.

"What kind of incident?" She asked, her fingers poised over her keyboard.

"Anything involving Karl Hunt."

Ziva glanced at Gibbs, trying to figure out where he was coming from. The sound of Abby's typing filled the room.

"One, Gibbs. Karl Hunt was paged at 10.56pm by the night nurse. Apparently one of the female guests was making a scene because another guest had stolen her shoes."

Abby trailed off, putting her hand over her mouth to suppress her giggling.

"The guest accused had only just _borrowed_ them because he wanted to engage in _self_-_stomping_."

Abby glanced at the team and noted their blank expressions. She sighed, theatrically.

"Am I going to have to tell you what s_tomping_ is?"

The continued blank expressions made her roll her eyes.

"Stomping is when men have such an inferiority complex that they get turned on by women standing on them - mostly in high heels."

"So he wanted to beat himself up with a pair of stilettos?" McGee asked with a grimace.

"I guess. Maybe he had a lady friend who was going to model them. It didn't give details."

"Why was the Director called Abs?" Gibbs asked, ignoring all of them and focusing only on the matter at hand.

Abby glanced at the computer screen.

"The woman whose shoes were stolen asked for him specifically. He stayed to calm her down. Apparently he was with her for an hour."

Gibbs stood and began pacing, his mind working overtime.

"Jenny said Rebecca must have been left alone" he mumbled - more to himself than to the others. "DiNozzo, with me. We're going to have a little chat with Karl Hunt."

Gibbs cut the transmission from Abby's lab without saying goodbye.

"Ziva, McGee ... I want to know everything on Karl Hunt. Everything."

He swept out the door with Di Nozzo on his heels.

* * *

"Agent Gibbs, I have had it up to here with you turning up at all hours of the day and night to upset my guests." Karl Hunt said as he met them at the door. "This is totally unacceptable."

Tony frowned at him.

"We are running an investigation, Mr Hunt. We don't need to disturb anyone – you're the one we want to speak to."

Karl looked like a cornered animal for a few seconds - and then calm Director mask slipped back into place.

"Of course" he said, leading them to his office and closing the door behind him.

"What can I help you with?" he asked as he took a seat at his desk.

Gibbs stood by the wall, one leg bent, his foot flat against the wall, and his arms crossed over his chest.

"The night Rebecca Morton died you were called to an incident involving two of the guests." Tony stated.

Karl looked confused and panicked at the same time.

"Yes I was. But I fail to see what that has to do with Rebecca's death."

Gibbs glanced at Tony and nodded for him to continue.

"We looked into your past, Karl. Being arrested for public nudity to running a clinic for people battling sexual addiction is quite the turnaround."

Karl Hunt had the good grace to look embarrassed.

"That was a long time ago, Agents. Before I understood my illness, before I got it under control."

He glanced between the two of them.

"What doesn't can't add up is the fact that Ms. Morton would engage in games by herself. She wasn't a risk taker ... or so I've been told" Gibbs said.

Karl swallowed nervously.

"And what does this have to do with my past?" he asked, his voice shaking slightly.

Gibbs stared at him, his blue eyes boring into Karl's unremarkable, wide brown ones. He held his gaze till Karl shook his head and let it fall into his hands.

"It was an accident" he said. Tony's eyebrows shot up. Evidently it wasn't something he had been expecting.

"Go on." Gibbs urged.

"I would never have hurt Rebecca on purpose, but I called away.

"So you left Ms. Morton .. alone?" Gibbs asked, the disgust evident in his voice.

Karl lifted his head and stared at him.

"She was experienced, Agent Gibbs. And I didn't plan to be away long. But I came back and ...oh god ..." he dropped his head back into his hands. "I came back and she was dead. I panicked. Ran. Left someone else find the body" he said, his voice quiet and muffled by his hands. "If anyone on the Board of Directors finds out I was involved my career will be over. "

Gibbs stood and nodded at Tony, and the latter stepped towards Karl.

"What does this mean?" Karl asked tearfully.

Tony glanced once at Gibbs before replying.

"At the very least it means that 'Lovers Leap' needs a new Director. And you better hope that NCIS doesn't bill you for wasting its time."

* * *

"Jethro!" Will exclaimed a while later - his smile easy. He stepped aside and gestured for Gibbs to enter his room.

Gibbs raised his eyebrows.

"I'm allowed in this time?" he asked, walking into the room.

Gibbs looked around. He didn't quite have a name for what he was feeling, but it surged through him as soon as his eyes fell on the bed; his eyes conjuring up a vision of Jen straddling Will, her hands on his skin.

"Yeah...sorry about that."

Will shrugged and looked at Gibbs.

"Karl Hunt admitted to being with Rebecca and leaving her alone towards the end" Gibbs said

Will sat down heavily at the end of the bed.

"Karl? Karl Hunt the Director?" he asked incredulously. "I knew Rebecca was insatiable, but ... Karl? She could have had anyone. God what a mess."

He raked a hand through his hair before addressing Gibbs again.

"So ... does this mean I am off the hook?" he asked.

"Yeah...you can go home. Home to Annie."

Will flinched at the sound of his wife's name.

"I don't know if I can do that anymore, Jethro. She's a saint you know, Jethro? I don't deserve her."

Gibbs nodded at Will and patted him uneasily on the shoulder, trying to push the thoughts of him and Jen out of his mind.

* * *

The drive back to the house, after turning Karl over to the Scottsdale P.D. was quiet. Every now and then an image of Jen would pop into his head and every muscle in his body went tense. He was sure Di Nozzo knew something was up – but he knew better than to ask. For which Gibbs was grateful. Tony preceded him into the house without a word.

Gibbs leant his head back against the headrest and rubbed circles against his temples. There was no denying the rush of lust and attraction he had felt for Jen, and it had been way too long since he had felt like that. She'd had him wanting to let go of every inhibition he had ever had. Familiar stirrings hit him at the thought of her foot against his groin, and he forced his eyes open and flung the car door open.

He dragged in a deep lungful of early morning air. An image of Jen spinning around a pole in front of dirty old men gripped him and made him grind his teeth. The thought of her bare skin exposed to others made him angry. The thought of another man – any other man - touching her raised that anger to white heat.

He forced himself to remember that she was a patient. A woman living on the fringe, if what they'd learnt was anything to go by. She was not the sort of woman that would settle down - not that he was thinking of settling down. But she was flighty, she was dangerous, an enigma, and definitely not the kind of woman to have a relationship with. He knew he'd obsess about her – in just the way she'd described – because she'd resonated with him on a primal level that he'd forgotten he was capable of.

He told himself it was unethical on his part, and the part of him that craved Jenny Shepard caved and shut down.

Gibbs sighed and raked his hands through his hair, leaning back against the car. The sound of the screen door banging pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Lets go home, Boss" said Tony – with a lot more empathy than he was expecting or even wanted to hear in his tone. "Ziva's closing up and McGee's doing garbage collection."

Gibbs nodded.

As Ziva stepped out of the house and closed the door, Tony loaded a few bags into the trunk.

"Boss ..." said McGee timidly, stepping close to him.

"Yeah McGee?" Gibbs replied wearily.

"I think this was meant for you" he said, handing him the brown paper bag that had housed the bourbon.

Gibbs looked at it.

_'Call me if you get lonely. Jenny.'_

Gibbs looked at the number scrawled underneath it.

"Trash it" he said, his voice cold.

It was time to go home, and put all thoughts of Jenny Shepard and her mesmerizing ways as far behind him as possible.

* * *


	7. Chapter 7

Three days later Gibbs was sitting at his desk when a shadow fell across it.

"Annie" he said, rising from his seat and coming across to embrace her.

"Hello Jethro" she said. "I've just been in to see the Director, but before I left I wanted to thank you. For being discreet. For being such a good friend to Will. And for not judging him."

She smiled sadly at him.

"Buy you a cup o'coffee?" he asked, putting his arm around her shoulders and leading her to the elevators.

A few minutes later they were siting in a coffee shop.

"There's something on your mind, Annie" Gibbs stated after the fourth prolonged silence.

She laughed nervously.

"I feel so stupid talking to you about this, Jethro – especially when I know how tight you and Will were when you were in the Corps. But ... it's ... hard for me."

A tear trickled down her cheek, and Gibbs felt his heart constrict at the sight of it.

"I know he can't help it – and I know he needs help. I know he's not emotionally invested in any of the women he's been involved with, and I know that he loves me. But I ... just can't ..."

She shook her head as Gibbs reached out to hold her hand, and he pulled it away.

"I've reached the stage where I'm jealous of every female he comes into contact with now. Even if I know there can't possibly be anything between them because the situation precludes it."

She looked up to find Gibbs looking at her in confusion, and she laughed a small, wry laugh.

"It doesn't matter Jethro" she said, getting up from her seat; batting his hand away when he tried to pick up the tab. "It's just really hard sometimes."

They walked out into the sunshine together and he pulled her to him.

This time there was no resistance.

"Feeling better?" he asked after she'd had a good long cry on his shoulder.

She nodded, and then touched his elbow.

"I need to ask you a question and I need you to give me an honest answer – no matter what that is. I know your loyalty is to the Marine Corps and to NCIS, but ... I need to know."

"Know what, Annie?"

"Do you think it's possible that ..." she looked away, embarassed, for a second and then came right out with it. "Do you think it's possible that he slept with Jenny while he was down in Arizona?"

For a second Gibbs' blood ran cold.

"I mean I know she was assigned to protect him, and she's been wonderfully supportive. But Jethro she's so beautiful. A man would have to be made of marble not to react to that kind of ..."

"She was _what_?" Gibbs said.

"Who? Jenny? Don't you know Jenny? From the San Diego office. Jenny Shepard. She was asssigned to protect Will. I thought you knew that. Didn't you meet her in Arizona? I was told she would be watching over him 24/7. Jethro? Jethro ..."

But Jethro was gone – and he didn't stop walking till he stormed Morrow's office.

"You sent me to investigate a case that was already being investigated" he fumed. "Why wasn't I told that Jenny Shepard works for NCIS?

"It was need to know, Jetthro, and you didn't need to know."

"Like hell I didn't."

Morrow sat back in his chair and looked at him hard and long. Before beginning to laugh. A ripe belly laugh that echoed round the room.

"She got to you too, didn't she?" he said, chuckling. "She is the savviest and possibly the best goddamn-looking female agent we've got Jethro. I've been reading the report. She took you all for a ride and continued to do her job. And you fell for it, all of you. Hook, line, and sinker."

"And what _was_ her job, exactly?"

"Protect Will's ass. Keep him out of trouble. Make sure he was still worthy to be Director of this joint."

Gibbs was about to retort when the Director's intercom buzzed.

"The Director of the FBI is online in MTAC, Sir" his secretary said. "There's been a development"

"On my way, Mary Ellen" Morrow said. He spared Gibbs a look on his way out. "Maybe you should hook up with her sometime" he said, his eyes twinkling. "Unless you have _rules_ about that kind of thing too."

Gibbs stood in the Director's office for a few minutes – trying to get his head around the last half an hour. In that space of time everything he'd spent the past four days thinking about had gone to the dogs. He couldn't decide whether he felt pissed or just damn foolish.

"Boss ..." Tony called as he passed by. He held out a phone receiver. "It's Fornell."

Gibbs gave a dismissal signal and kept walking. Tony spoke into the phone for a moment longer, and then slammed it down and ran after him. He caught up with him just as the elevator doors were sliding closed – but Gibbs just stared at him as they did, making no move to let him in.

His cell phone began to ring immediately. He ignored that too.

He wanted a few minutes away from everything to get this thoughts in order, but the only thing he could think about was Jennifer Shepard. And the problem was he didn't know _what_ to think. He didn't know whether to be glad she hadn't really been a patient; he didn't know whether he should call her up and give her a piece of his mind; he didn't know whether he should let it go. He had a hard time admitting to himself that in spite of everything he knew he should be doing, he just wanted to drop everything and seek her out. Force her to make good on her promises and teach him a few things. It was conflict, pure and simple – and Morrow had been right. She'd taken him for a ride to the extent that he'd believed everything about the persona she'd projected - right down to the nitty gritty details. And he'd built his fantasies around that. Around something which didn't exist. For a moment he experienced a sense of loss and betrayal so great that he wasn't sure how to cope with, and the urge to hit something became just a little bit more pronounced.

His phone rang again, and this time he didn't even bother to look at the caller ID. Whatever it was could wait till he'd had another coffee. He'd be more bearable then anyway, he told himself.

He was sipping a steaming cup of coffee when the doors to the coffee shop swung open and two agents stepped up to him.

They flashed their badges.

"Come with us please, Agent Gibbs" they said, as he looked at them in what might have passed as amusement.

Gibbs looked beyond them into the eyes of Fornell.

"Tobias .." he said slowly.

Fornell took a deep breath.

"We need to get you out of here" he replied. "I'll explain in the car."

Gibbs took another look at him and nodded.

"Boss ..." Tony got to his feet as soon as he saw Gibbs and Fornell walk towards him in the bullpen. When he saw Ron Sachs behind them he flared his nostrils. "Some days this job really sucks" he said, loud enough for them to hear.

Gibbs paused en route to the staircase.

"Yeah? Well it's about to get worse. MTAC. All of you."

The team rose as one and followed him up the stairs.

"Is this the team in question?"

"Yes ma'am" Morrow said, shooting Gibbs a look that he couldn't decipher.

"_Agent Gibbs_. Why does this _not_ surprise me?"

Gibbs shifted uncomfortably in the presence of the Deputy Secretary of State, but kept his eyes on her.

"The FBI has invested two years in this case" she began. "NCIS has invested over six months. You managed to put a stop to all of that in the space of twenty-four hours. And now I am to understand that _not only_ do we have _two_ of our best federal agents missing, we also have to place _you_ in protective custody."

Gibbs let her ire wash over him for a few seconds.

"Is my team under investigation?" he wanted to know when he spoke again.

"No. There is no doubt that they were acting pursuant to your orders, Agent Gibbs. If the need arises, places will be found for them within the manhunt relevant to their strengths. _You_, on the other hand, will consider yourself in protective custody. You will be monitored for your own protection _and_ you will confine your activities to NCIS headquarters. Do I make myself clear, Agent Gibbs?"

There was nothing warm about Anna Elliot's voice.

"_Do I make myself clear?_" she repeated when he didn't answer.

"Yes, ma'am" Gibbs said, his stare blank.

"And make no mistake, Agent Gibbs. Once we have recovered Agent Shepard there will be a full internal investigation into your conduct in this case. I am still not clear what you were doing out in Arizona in the first place – but rest assured I will find out."

Anna Eliot leaned forward in her seat as she saw Gibbs share a look with the Director. She angled her face slightly and sought out Morrow.

"Director Morrow ..." she started. And then she looked at Gibbs again. "You are _dismissed_, Agent Gibbs."

Gibbs turned on his heel and walked out of MTAC, his head pounding. Knowing in his gut that this was going to get ugly, and that he had not only compromised an operation of longstanding, but that something that was supposed to be kept personal was about to be blasted wide open.

Fornell was waiting outside.

"I'm sorry to have to do this Jethro" he said as he attached a bracelet to his wrist. "It's for your own protection."

"I need you to keep me in the loop, Tobias."

"Want some advice? Stay out of the way. They're gonna need someone to blame if this goes down the tubes. Don't make this easy for them."

Gibbs shrugged.

"What's going on Boss?" McGee asked – unable to make head or tails of what had just happened.

"Tell them, Tobias" Gibbs said.

"For the past six months there has been a joint operation between our agencies. Your Agent Shepard and our Agent Krieger have been in Scottsdale for - "

"_Agent_ Shepard?" Tony gasped. "As in .. _Jenny Shepard _from the_ .._"

Gibbs looked at him with something in his eyes that Tony could only qualify as worry. It stunned him into silence.

"_Agent Krieger_" Fornell carried on "missed her check in this morning. NCIS have yet to make contact with Agent Shepard. Her check in isn't due for another five hours. _But_ .. about half an hour ago we picked up chatter that indicates that a hit has been taken out on Agent Gibbs."

"Gibbs?"

Ziva looked at him with concern that she didn't bother to hide.

Gibbs ran a hand over his face. He looked like he'd aged ten years.

"I blew their cover in that club."

The hours passed agonisingly slowly as the agency waited for Jenny Shepard's check in time to roll around. When it did and there was no contact, the shifting of gears was seamless and immediate.

The search was on.

McGee's desk phone rang. A phonecall from autopsy that went dead as soon as he picked up the receiver. He looked around him. The bullpen was quiet apart from the agents milling around.

He took the elevator downstairs.

"Boss?" he called as he entered the dark room.

Gibbs switched on the small lamp on Ducky's desk. He sat there nursing a glass of something strong.

"McGee ... do you remember the number or any part thereof on that brown paper bag in Scottsdale?" he asked, cutting to the chase.

"The one you told me to trash?"

Gibbs nodded, and McGee shook his head – immediately realising what it was Gibbs wanted it for.

"I can can hack into the system and see how the powers that be are trying to contact Agent Shepard" he said.

"If they catch you your career is over. And there'll be nothing I can do to stop that."

"I'll have to make sure I don't get caught then" McGee said.

Gibbs smiled and switched the light off again - but McGee didn't move.

"Why aren't you helping with the manhunt, Boss? Tony's liasing with the Scottsdale PD, and Ziva's working with her contacts in Interpol to see what they can find out. I'm working with the FBI to find out who took out the hit on you, but that shouldn't .."

"I'm under investigation, McGee" said Gibbs slowly as he raised the glass to his lips in the darkness. "Pretty much under house arrest."

McGee switched the light on again.

"Did they ask you to turn in your badge?"

"That will depend" Gibbs said.

"On what?"

"On whether Agents Shepard and Krieger are found alive."

He took another long swallow and switched off the light again.

This time McGee left.

He headed straight for Abby's lab.

"We need to hack into the system" he said, pointing at the ceiling.

"We can't Tim – not from here" she said. "They've already been crawling all over my stuff. There are protocols in place to ensure I can't do anything like that again while this investigation is running."

"We have to help find her" McGee said. "They're going to make Gibbs turn his badge if we don't."

"Do what you need to do from a place that can't be traced back to you. Or to us" Abby said, covering his hand with her own.

"I have a friend who works across the street at Cybercrimes."

She turned and gave him a bearhug.

"I'm scared McGee. What if they crucify Gibbs?"

"Not gonna happen Abby" McGee said in his best Gibbs voice.

She gave him a small smile, and then pushed him towards the door.

"Go" she said. "And be careful."

Some twenty minutes later McGee was ensconced in a cubicle across the street, watching cyberactivity in his own building.

All indications were that the cell phone Jenny Shepard had been assigned was switched off. All attempts to trace the phone and her were turning out to be fruitless. McGee reached into his pockets to look for a pen to write down the number for Gibbs. The fingers of his right hand grazed something rough – and then he remembered. He hadn't trashed the piece of paper with Jenny's number on it; he'd stuffed it into his pocket meaning to get rid of it later - and promptly forgotten all about it.

He drew the paper out and looked at the number scrawled on it. And did a double take.

It was a different number. Which made sense when he thought about it. It stood to reason that Jenny hadn't given Gibbs her undercover op phone number.

Not quite sure what course of action Gibbs would want to pursue, he made his way back to HQ quickly.

Gibbs was still sitting in the dark with his drink. He listened to what McGee had to say and sat up a little straighter.

"We have only one shot at this – and it's a long one. You're going to have to put yourself on the line, McGee."

"What do you want me to do?" McGee asked – his unfailing sense of loyalty winning out over his instinct for self-preservation.

"Go back wherever you were. Find her, McGee. And then get a message to _this_ man at _this_ number. When he calls you back apprise him of the situation and give him her location. He'll take it from there."

McGee looked at the piece of paper.

"Who's Mike Franks?" he asked.


	8. Chapter 8

Jennifer Shepard stepped out of her car. The large dark shades protecting her eyes had no impact on her peripheral vision. Or on her gut.

She was being watched. And she'd seen this man before. Twice in two days.

The first time she hadn't singled him out, because there had been hundreds of people about; she'd only had the sensation that someone somewhere was very interested in what she was doing. So she'd changed her plans. But she was highly adept at remembering faces – and when he'd been reading the paper in the same place she was having her breakfast in the morning, her instincts had sharpened. She'd partially turned the tables and led him round in circles. She made sure to have lunch at a particularly upscale restaurant where he set the metal detector off and was turned away; and then she'd slipped out the back and followed him as he'd driven to a cheesy motel in downtown LA.

As she walked across the parking lot now she assessed her situation. There was more to this man than met the eye. She could feel it. He'd had a dozen opportunities to take her out, and yet there was a vibe to the situation that she couldn't gauge; and it wasn't necessarily a bad one.

He placed a decanter on the ice box and lifted the lid.

"Shoot first, ask questions later?" he asked sardonically as she came up behind him.

Jen didn't answer.

"What took ya so long? You'd figured it out by breakfast. We coulda gotten cozy a long time ago" Franks asked as he scooped up some ice and dumped it into a paper bag. "Nice touch at the restaurant by the way."

He looked at her for a while.

"You ever gonna say anything?" he asked. When she still didn't answer, he rolled his eyes. "Mike Franks" he said. "Friend o' Gibbs. Said you might need a hand."

Jen relaxed fractionally.

"Do you work for NCIS?"

"I packed it in after the first attack on the World Trade Center" he replied.

He surveyed the parking lot for a moment.

"I reckon we should take this inside. Shall we?"

He gestured towards the rooms of the motel.

"Feel free to ... ya know ... start talkin'. Coz there'd be a better be a damn good reason Gibbs had me jump on the first plane outta Mexico."

Jen smiled.

"You ever work with a William Decker?" she asked.

"He hired on the year I retired" Franks replied. "Why?"

"He's probably dead. And I'm next."

Mike looked at her as he opened the door to his room.

"NCIS is bustin' their balls tryin' to find you" he said, as he headed to a sideboard and started to chop up limes. "You got any intention of lettin' 'em know where you are?"

"You found me" she said simply.

"The kid found ya. I just went where I was told."

"What kid?"

"McGee."

Jen smiled.

"I knew there were brains behind those doe eyes" she said with a touch of pride.

"Gibbs put him on it", Mike continued as he brought decanter and fruit to the table and sat down opposite her. "It would seem you made quite an impression."

Jen could feel him studying her.

"I need your help."

_"My_ help? You've got an entire agency ..."

"I need someone I can trust and you just made the shortlist."

"Good to know I have a fan" he said wryly as he settled back in his seat.

"Gibbs' shortlist. He'd trust you with his life and that's good enough for me."

The atmosphere in the room turned serious.

"Lets hear it" Mike said.

"I've just spent several months in Arizona with another agent."

"I take it you two weren't sight-seeing."

"We were – but the sights we were looking for weren't on any tourist map."

"The op?"

"Classified" she said.

"Hmph. Nice chattin' with ya ..." he said as he got up to go. "Enjoy the free cable."

"It was a joint op with the FBI" she said. "They were trying to infiltrate an arms ring. Special Agent William Decker had been working with them for over a year. Jurisdiction crossed over into our patch six months ago when a high-ranking Navy officer was suspected of being involved. I was sent down there with another agent."

"From the FBI" Franks clarified.

Jen nodded.

"Decker was our contact agent. He got us our identities, handled communications ..."

"I know the drill" Mike said as he settled back into his chair.

"The name _Oshimaida_ was a code word we were to use in the event our cover was compromised."

"Franks looked at her for a long time – studying her expressive eyes that gave away far more than her words did.

"Gibbs ..." he said.

She nodded.

"When Agent Gibbs went into that club, our cover was blown. Decker got the message to my partner and I."

"They still alive?"

Jen took a deep breath.

"Decker got my partner out of her apartment before it blew."

She looked at her watch.

"They would have reached the safe house by now, and made contact with NCIS from there. But I don't know if that's happened or not."

"If there's a safehouse why are you _here_?" Franks said.

Jen looked troubled as she raised her head slowly.

"The next time I head for that door it won't be for show" he growled.

Franks saw something flicker across her face but he didn't know her well enough to decipher it.

"They've put out a hit on Gibbs" she said slowly. "But from the look on your face I take it he omitted to tell you that part."

Franks leant forward.

"Where do I sign up?"

* * *

"We're opening a port into western rental servers" McGee said into the phone.

"I'm checking all the customer records for the past forty-eight hours" contributed Abby.

"Ten Grand Marquis at the LAX office ... three rented this week ... only one in the past two days."

"It hasn't been returned" Abby said. "Joe Hill. Out of New Mexico."

She tapped away at her keyboard as McGee continued to relay their findings to Tony.

"No listing at the DMV. Must have used a fake id."

"That's him. Can you a get a photo?" Tony asked.

"Well it's not on the server but I should be able to get it from..."

"Do it, McGee. Oooooh... what have we here?"

The line dropped.

Tony DiNozzo grinned at Ziva. This day had had its ups and downs but this was definitely the biggest up of all.

"Would you just look at it...it's like sex in car form."

Tony ran a hand lovingly over the bonnet of the bright red Mustang in the rental parking lot.

"I really do not think that we should care what car we have."

Ziva crossed her arms in front of her. Tony pouted slightly and pulled at her arm, freeing her hand and placing it on top of the car.

"Feel it."

Ziva rolled her eyes.

"Fine. It feels lovely. Can we go now?" she said, pulling her hand away.

Tony tossed the keys up and snatched them out of the air with his other hand.

"What are the chances that this is the only car they had left? It's like... destiny or something."

Ziva rolled her eyes again and got into the car. She was itching to get started. She wanted to find Jennifer Shepard and put and end to all this. The horrible feeling she'd had when Morrow had given them carte blanche and told them he didn't want to know what they were doing as long as they sorted it out was back.

"Tony, start the engine" she said as he slipped into the driver's seat next to her. The top was down and Ziva pulled her sunglasses off her head.

"Where to, Miss?" Tony asked, turning the key and grinning as the engine purred.

"Call the Los Angeles Police Department. Tell them you are conducting a local investigation, and ask them to track down the GPS co-ordinates of Franks' rental car." she said as they pulled out of the lot.

Tony glanced at her.

"Wouldn't it be easier just to call Probie Wan?"

* * *

"My kinda place" Franks said as they pulled up in front of a decrepit diner. "Still waiting for you to tell me what we're doin' here."

"This is the safehouse" Jen said, as she stepped out of the car and placed a key in his hand.

He watched as she drew her gun from its holster - and instinctively did the same.

"There doesn't seem to be anyone here" he said, picking up on the same thing she was.

"Something's wrong" she said.

"Door's locked" he said.

"Back door" Jen said, circling the building and looking in through the dirty glass.

"Nobody's been here for months" Franks said as he checked the ground for tire tracks.

"And that can only mean one thing. They got to Decker and Krieger."

Jen looked at the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the distance as she took in their arid, bleak surroundings. She tried to push away the fear that clawed at her as she followed Mike into the diner.

* * *

Ziva sighed as she snatched the phone from Tony's hand and hit speed dial two.

"Would you not hang up on me again please Tony? You aren't Gibbs. " McGee said

"McGee…"

"Oh - sorry Ziva. What d'you need?"

"Coordinates. Franks' rental."

"On it" she heard Abby say in the background.

The familiar tapping of goth's fingers on her keyboard did nothing to soothe the bad feelings that were still sitting heavily in her stomach. She glanced at Tony who was checking out a vacuous looking blonde at the traffic lights.

"Got it…" McGee said triumphantly into the phone making Ziva snap back to the task in hand.

"Just off State Road 14. About 15 miles into the Mojave desert"

"That is _50 miles_ from here, McGee. Have you got an exact location?"

"Workin' on it" McGee promised before he hung up.

* * *

"Stop staring at my ass" Jen said, as she rummaged through boxes.

"Not much else to look at" Mike said as he walked around the diner. "It might help if you told me what I was looking for."

"Decker owned this place" Jen explained. "The stuff from the op has to be somewhere around here. There'd be documents, operational blueprints, photos ..."

"You got plenty of those ..." Mike said, waving his hands around the room.

Jenny walked up to the walls and started pulling frames off the walls.

She placed them on a table and started to take them apart.

"It's all here" she said as the backs came off.

"You need to get these out of here" she said when she'd perused the contents of the frames.

"That why you need my help?"

"Why else would I need it?" she asked, a bit of cockiness in her tone.

"If Krieger or Decker talked we have to assume whoever got to her knows about this place, knows about you."

Jenny looked at him and walked a little closer.

"Guess he's gonna be on his way. If we leave now ..."

"You can go. I'm staying. _This_ ... ends here."

Franks looked at her for a moment before lifting his leg onto the chair and lifting his trouser leg. He handed her a weapon.

"You're gonna need a clean one" he said.

Jenny reached out to take it – and smiled gently when Mike straddled a seat.

* * *

Tony pulled into a gas station, perfectly cognizant of the fact that Ziva was beyond pissed with his continuous movie references and idle banter.

"We could have made it" she said, as she pushed her sunglasses onto her head.

"The needle is below E. _E_ stands for _empty_. We have less that empty and we don't even know where _it_ is."

"We could have made it ..." Ziva insisted. "What?"

"Try and make yourself useful" Tony hissed as he started to gas up the car.

"What?"

"I said _why don't you make yourself useful_."

Ziva spun round in her seat.

"What do you want me to do? _Hold your nozzle_?"

"Get us a map."

Ziva slammed the car door just as Tony's cell phone went off.

"You better have my co-ordinates" Tony snapped at McGee, his eyes fixing Ziva in place.

"Better still, I have an address. Just sent it your PDA."

"You deserve a probie-snack. Get yourself one – but not from my desk. Use the vending machine. Zee-vah – lets roll."

* * *

"I never said thanks" Jen said as she walked over to one of the booths and sat on it.

"Thank me later" replied Franks, taking a long draw on his cigarette.

"This is my fault" she continued.

Franks turned his head to look at her.

"I made some choices I'm not particularly proud of."

"We all have" he said.

Jen shook her head sadly.

"If I hadn't interfered in his investigation he would never have needed to track me down. There wouldn't be a hit on him right now."

Franks looked straight at her.

"You're still young. You got plenty o' time to make right."

Jenny looked away – her heart in her throat.

"It's not that simple" she said.

"Figures. Gibbs always did like a woman who was complicated."

He stood from his seat.

"Gibbs know?" he asked.

Jen looked at him with a curious expression.

"When I ask you if Gibbs knows, I don't mean about your ... _feelings_ for him. I'm askin' if he knows you're sick. Gonna lie to me now?"

"What makes you think I'm sick?"

"A person gets that look in their eye when time's runnin' out."

"You're not _that_ good" Jen said with half a smile.

Franks chuckled.

"I'm not sick" she said.

"You tryin' to tell me that you'd risk your life for a man you met once."

"Twice" Jen corrected.

"Why?" Franks wanted to know.

Jen looked out of the window and teared up for a moment. When she found her voice again she looked straight at him.

"Have you ever met someone and known you'd met your match?" she asked slowly.

Franks considered what she was saying for a moment.

"Might be hard to believe but I was in love once. Her name was Maggie. She had it all. Quick as a fox ... great curves. Trusted her with my life."

"What happened?"

"Traded her for a Harley when the transmission blew."

Jen laughed.

"Boy's been through the wringer' Franks said, suddenly serious again. "This in't gonna help."

Jen bowed her head.

"I'm not going to let anyone hurt him" she said with conviction.

"That's not my point" Franks said, looking away from her.

* * *

Tony slammed on the brakes and killed the engine. He bounded out of the car and walked to the side of the road.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh" he screamed into the Mojave Desert.

When he got back into the car Ziva regarded him with interest.

"What?"

"Turn ... at the giant cactus. Right?"

"That _is_ what he said' she replied placidly – a tone designed to needle.

Tony turned the key and revved the engine. He stepped on the gas pedal and the mustang shot off - leaving a whirl of dust in its wake.

* * *

"Found some tea" Jenny called from behind the counter.

"What kind?"

"Does it matter?"

"Only drink lemon grass."

"You just don't strike me as a tea-drinking kind of guy" Jen said with a smirk.

"And people say I don't open up .." Franks said with a smile of his own.

"Well .. no water" Jenny said as she tossed the box onto a nearby table "So much for the tea."

"I spotted a water tank out back."

"I'll go" said Jen.

Franks held up his hand.

"Let me. I've got to hit the head again anyway. You're up .." he said as he turned and left – confident that she'd be much safer inside than a moving target on the outside.

Jenny turned and looked out the window – the sense of unease that she had thus far quelled rising to grab her by the throat again. She thought of Gibbs and wished that she could have spoken to him one last time. Wished that Franks had left as she'd asked. She had a hard time accepting that she might be signing his death warrant – as well as her own.

She heard the sound of wheels on the dirt road before she saw the vehicle.

* * *

"There it is" Ziva said a few minutes later as Tony pulled off the road in front of the diner.

She looked at Tony.

"I have seen that SUV before" she said, as she spotted the dark vehicle a few feet away.

"Gas station" Tony said as they exited the Mustang.

The sight of broken glass was all they needed to see to realize that something had gone down in this place. They crouched before the front door together – weapons at the ready.

"You're in" Tony said as he saw a prone figure just feet from his position.

Ziva entered, and he followed.

"Clear" he shouted as looked behind the bar and in a back room.

Ziva made her way through the carnage, and stopped short halfway through her sweep.

_"Tony_ ..." she called.

Tony's steps slowed as he drew closer to her. His breathing grew labored. Together they looked down at the motionless form of Jennifer Shepard lying in a pool of her own blood.

As he reached out to touch her a phone rang. Hers.

Tony picked it up and looked at the number closely.

_202-555-0035._

"Gibbs ..." he said to Ziva, his voice cracking.

"Jenny. Jenny? You there?" Gibbs' voice came through on speaker as Tony accepted the call.

"Boss .. I'm sorry" he said – not knowing what else to say.

There was silence at the other end of the line.

"Tony ..." said Ziva suddenly. "I have a pulse."

* * *

A/N...We have taken serious liberties with the content and the dialogue of Judgment Day BUT we felt that it had to be redressed. The outcome of that episode was...well...wrong. This, hopefully, makes up for it...a little bit!

V and E


	9. Chapter 9

Franks walked down the corridor toting a bunch of flowers self-consciously in his hands.

"How's she doin'?" he asked as he came upon a tired-looking Ziva sitting on chair outside a hospital room.

The Israeli looked up from her hands and tried to smile. It didn't work. Franks slumped down into the chair next to her.

"What's it been? Coupla hours at least .."

"She is out of surgery. I am not sure if she is out of the forest" Ziva said, fiddling with an errant thread on her green top.

Mike wrinkled his brow.

"Woods..." he corrected.

Ziva nodded absentmindedly.

"She even awake?" he asked.

Ziva shrugged.

"We are not family. They will not tell me anything."

"Excuse me ..."

A nurse came into Ziva's line of sight. Her face was warm and sympathetic, and yet it made Ziva angry.

"Miss Shepard is asking for the _female NCIS agent. _I assume she means _you_?"

"Tell her I say hi" Franks said, thrusting the flowers into her hands awkwardly as Ziva stood.

Ziva knocked quietly before entering the room.

Jennifer Shepard lay in the bed, her skin pale and almost lifeless.

"Officer David ..." Jen said croakily, nodding her towards the chair with difficulty.

Ziva took in the sights and sounds of the hospital room – not quite sure what to say now that she was in her presence. This woman had been on her mind constantly for more than twenty-four hours, and she couldn't help admiring her. And not only for taking on four men on her own for reasons she couldn't even begin to understand. She'd admired her at the clinic too; had got a huge kick out of the way in which she'd handled her team mates. She had also been undercover for a long time - something which Ziva knew was hard on the mind. Constantly having to be someone else, when your persona was far from your own personality, was something she had experience with. She knew the inherent dangers.

"I guess I owe you a thank you." Jen said, her voice gravelly from lack of use.

"No need" Ziva replied, settling herself in the chair next to the bed.

She was surprised that she found it easy to smile at the woman who had saved her boss's life, and she wondered if maybe they would have been friends under different circumstances.

"I know you're wondering why I did it" Jen said suddenly, and Ziva looked at her - unsure of what to say. "I'm kinda wondering myself right now."

"A little" Ziva admitted.

Jen nodded and fell silent, a sharp intake of breath the only indication that a wave of pain had hit her. Ziva glanced at her before falling into silence with her when she settled. She obviously had something to say, and Ziva waited for her to say it.

"Have you ever fallen in love with someone at first sight, Officer David?" she asked suddenly.

Ziva frowned, a bit taken aback by the question.

"No" she replied truthfully.

"Good" Jen said, gripping the edge of the bed as another wave of pain hit her. "I hope for your sake you never do."

"I think you need to take something for the pain" Ziva said as she leaned across to press the nursing staff call button made to stand up.

"No" Jen said. "Physical pain keeps me from being pulled under by ... the other kind."

She looked away, and Ziva settled back into her chair.

"Don't tell him how bad this is."

Her hand shook slightly as she tried to reach for Ziva. But the effort was too much, and she let it drop. "Did I imagine that Agent Di Nozzo said his name at the diner? Did he call?"

Ziva nodded.

"He called when we found you" she started to say.

"If he calls again ..."

As if on cue, Ziva's cell phone went off. She exchanged a glance with Jen.

"Tell him I am still in surgery. By the time he calls again you will be on your way home ... and you won't have to lie."

She squeezed her eyes shut.

"Perhaps it is best if I do not take the call" Ziva said, pocketing her phone again.

She filled a glass with water and helped Jen drink it.

Jen smiled through her pain.

"I need to speak to Mike" she said when Ziva opened the door to leave a few moments later.

Ziva nodded.

Mike stood from the chair as she walked towards him.

"She okay?" he asked.

Ziva stared at him, her eyes showing her confusion.

"Spill ..." said Franks.

"What is it about Gibbs that inspires such loyalty?" she asked him.

"That's somethin' you gotta figure out for yourself" he replied, simply, but not unkindly.

"She wants to speak to you."

Mike clapped a hand on her shoulder.

"Get some rest" he said as he started for Jen's room.

"Ziva."

Tony's voice called to her a few moments later. She looked up to find him standing in front of her, his eyes tired.

"Where's Franks?" he asked. "We're on the next flight out."

She indicated Jen's room, and Tony nodded and sat down beside her.

"Gibbs call you?" he asked.

Again Ziva's phone rang shrilly in the quiet of the hospital. She hurried to pull it out of her pocket.

"Gibbs..." she said slowly.

"_How is she?"_ Gibbs asked.

Ziva faltered for a moment.

"She is still in surgery" she replied, ignoring the questioning look from Tony.

* * *

"Hey McGee" Abby said happily as she sensed him walk into her lab.

"Hey. Got your message. What's up?"

Abby pushed him onto a stool in front of the monitor placed off to the side.

"Prepare to be amazed" was all she said.

"I am prepared" McGee said, rolling his shoulders. "What is it?"

"It's a computer model" she said proudly. "Gibbs wants to know what went down in the diner and you know how difficult it is to explain technical stuff to him, so .."

"I don't think this is such a good idea, Abs" McGee said worriedly, looking over his shoulder.

"What's not a good idea?" Gibbs asked as he swept into the lab.

"Oh hey Gibbs!"

Abby pulled up another stool, and looked at McGee who shook his head minutely at her.

"You're just in time for the demonstration" she carried on, ignoring Tim completely.

"_This_ .. is the O.K Corral" she said, waving her palm in front of the monitor.

"Abby ..." cautioned McGee.

"Okay – so maybe it's the diner. But you gotta admit, McGee .."

"Abs ..." Gibbs said menacingly.

"Right. _This_ is Agent Shepard. A few seconds before the shootout. In my head she was looking out the window as she waited. Now ..."

McGee looked at Gibbs and saw his eyes twitch just for a second. The young agent sighed inaudibly as Abby took a deep breath and launched into her narrative.

"First two shooters came through the front door. The other two shooters came from over there" she said, indicating the side door. "She stood over here" she said, as the figure representing Jen raised her guns. "She got off the first shots. Shooter number one never even fired his weapon."

The awe in her voice was unmistakable. Gibbs shifted in his seat, and earned himself another glance from McGee.

"She took heavy fire after that" Abby carried on. "One in the shoulder. One in the arm. She started moving _this way_."

Gibbs followed the progress on the screen. Every shot sound that rang out through the lab's sound system reverberated in his head.

"The other two went in through the side door. Second shooter went down .. _there._"

Abby pointed to a booth by the window as the figure fell.

"She dropped to her knee, she fired three more times."

This time she indicated one of the shooters who had come in through the side door.

"Which leaves the fourth shooter" she said - pointing at the front door again. "We know how that ended."

Gibbs looked at the screen in a daze.

"She put up a hell of a fight, Gibbs" she said, apparently expecting some kind of a reaction from him.

"Not good enough."

"She was outnumbered four to one, Boss" McGee reasoned.

"It's a miracle she was still alive at all when they found her" Abby said. "By all accounts she should have been dead. She must have been riddled with shots."

"Abby ..." McGee said as he nudged her gently.

"Sometimes people don't die because they can't let go, Gibbs. Because they're not ready. Maybe she has unfinished business, and she ... "

"_Abby_ ..." McGee intervened a little less gently.

He nodded at the bench.

"Oh ... yeah" she said, picking up on the vibe if not quite the meaning behind it. "Tony and Ziva recovered four of these babies before the feds arrived" she said, holding up a specimen jar. "Forty-five caliber casings. From Mike's gun. Two of the shooters were down when he got into the diner. Down but not dead, Ducky says. He fired the kill shots. "

Gibbs nodded.

"Good job. Both of you" he said flatly.

He stood there for a few seconds, as if unsure what to do next.

"Oh Gibbs ..." Abby said as she enveloped him in a hug.

The sound of the elevator doors opening had them all looking at the doorway.

Tony and Ziva walked in – with Mike Franks trailing behind them.

Glad of the respite, Abby launched herself at Tony.

"Tony! I missed you" she said.

Tony grimaced and smiled back at her. She extracted herself from his grasp and stood in front of Ziva.

"I missed you too" she said, pulling her into a hug.

Ziva hugged her back.

Abby turned her attention to Mike Franks

"I would have missed you too ... if I'd known you" she qualified.

He gave her a strange look and looked beyond her at Gibbs, who was staring at Abby's computer model.

"Miss us, Boss?" Tony asked, trying to lighten the somber mood.

Gibbs turned around, concern etched into his features.

"How is she?" he asked, ignoring Tony's question.

Tony looked at his shoes, suddenly fascinated by the scuff marks on them. Ziva shuffled nervously and looked around the lab, locking eyes with McGee who looked back at her sadly.

"Can I smoke down here?" Mike said suddenly.

"Mike ..." Gibbs warned, holding his hand up to Abby who looked like she was going to punch Mike for even _thinking_ about smoking in her lab.

Franks exhaled deeply. He looked at Ziva and his expression told her that he'd field this one.

Ziva nodded and bowed her head.

Franks gestured towards the door.

"We need to talk" he said to Gibbs.

Gibbs swept out of the lab, and Mike nodded grimly at the team before following him out.

He hit the kill switch in the elevator the moment it started its ascent.

"_Everything_ ..." Gibbs said, leaning back against an elevator wall.

Franks looked pained – as if he didn't know where to begin. Or even what to say.

"You're gonna have to let this one go, probie" he said finally.

Gibbs stared back at him.

"You know I can't do that, Mike. I blew their cover."

"It's been done for you. Decker and Krieger checked in this morning. Went to another safehouse. Like she told them, apparently. Morrow's gonna cover your ass. Make sure they don't take your badge. Take the heat. He's on his way out anyway. There's enough information to bring the ring down now. It's a done deal."

Gibbs looked at him in confusion for a moment, and Franks knew that what had been plaguing him for the past few hours was plaguing Gibbs too.

"If they didn't get to Decker and Krieger, how did they know about the diner?" Gibbs asked.

Franks looked to him and ran a hand across his mouth.

"I don't know. I think she tipped them off – knowing it would bring them there."

He shook his head as though to clear it – still unable to wrap his head around the whole concept of self-sacrifice.

"I think she thought she could pull it off. The girl's an artist with the steel."

He looked into Gibbs' pained eyes.

"She knew what she was getting into. Her last stand was to _protect you._"

"Why?"

"Girl cares for you. Didn't wanna have any regrets."

"Who protected _her_, Mike?"

Franks took a deep breath, obviously reliving the scene in the diner.

"I was out back. I saw 'em going in the side door. I shot off two rounds. Too late. Damage'd been done."

Gibbs stared at him.

"I did what I could" Mike said defensively when he saw the accusation in his eyes.

"Yeah. You always do" Gibbs said, a trace of bitterness in his voice.

"If you're lookin' for an apology ..."

"I know better."

"I'm sorry, Gunny ..." Franks said, his voice full of feeling.

Gibbs compressed his lips together for a second.

"She out of danger?"

"Last I heard" Franks said. "Only saw her for a few minutes. She spoke to Ziva. Didn't wanna see Di Nozzo. Wanted to be sure I'd got the stuff Decker had hidden outta there."

"Did ya?"

Franks nodded.

"Di Nozzo and David showed up when I'd shot that last son of a bitch. I left before the feds showed up."

"The stuff safe?"

"Handed it over to Morrow half an hour ago" Franks said with another nod.

Gibbs opened his mouth to say something and closed it again.

Franks patted his shoulder briefly.

"Let her go" he said.

* * *

**Authors' Note:**

This is the penultimate chapter. Please be advised that the rating is shifting to M for the last one (so either put it on alert or look there tomorrow). Hopefully those of you with lynching aspirations (Aly, we mean you!) will understand the meaning behind this change in rating, and not get upset by the ending of this chapter. Well, not to upset. We still have to write the darn thing.

V and E


	10. Chapter 10

* * *

_**Five Months later….**_

How's Jethro?" Annie Evans asked her husband over a late breakfast.

Will shrugged.

"It's been a rough couple of months."

His wife looked at him with a sad smile.

"I don't think anyone is harder on Jethro than Jethro. Has he ever actually _said_ anything to you?"

Will shook his head.

"No. And not for want of my asking either. You know Jethro .. plays it close to the chest."

"I'm worried about him."

"I know."

"And how's Jenny doing? Really?" Annie asked.

"As far as I can tell she's doing fine."

"Has she settled into her new role?"

Will smiled and nodded.

_"Head of Intelligence_ suits her talents. She'll do a great job. We were lucky to get her back. I was sure we'd lost her. Still have no idea what changed her mind though."

"Maybe it was what you said to her" Annie said after a moment's thought.

"Maybe ..." her husband replied, his thoughts drifting back to the conversation he'd had with Jen where he'd told her that when someone made a difference like she did they just didn't quit.

"Are you worried about her?" Annie asked, breaking into his thoughts.

"Not as worried as I am about Jethro" he admitted.

"Is his work suffering?"

Will shook his head.

"Quite the opposite. If anything he's even more driven than he was before. Whatever's there is beneath the surface. But it's there. He's a natural protector, Annie. With what he perceives as huge failings in that department. He couldn't save Shannon and Kelly. He never got a chance to save Agent Todd. And he's not used to being protected. What Jen did doesn't fall into his frame of reference. I just .. I feel like he needs her to give him absolution or something."

"But she doesn't feel she needs to, does she?"

"No, she doesn't. And the thing is ... she's right. He did the job Morrow sent him to do. And he wasn't in the know about a lot of things. But try telling that to Jethro."

"I think we need to have him over here for lunch over the weekend" Annie said. "Get some good food into him. God knows he probably hasn't left that basement in months."

Will looked up.

"That might be a good idea" he said. "It'll give me a chance to talk to him properly. It's not that easy to pin him down at the office."

Annie looked at him and smiled.

"Good luck with that" she said as she cleared the table.

* * *

"You can't keep doing this to yourself, Jethro" Will said a few days later as he handed him another beer.

Gibbs raised his eyebrows at him as he took it, twisting the lid off and pouring half of it down his throat in one swift, fluid movement.

"Seriously, Jethro. This isn't healthy. Not that you and healthy go together in the same sentence but .. you know what I mean."

Will smiled gently, trying to coax out the light hearted side of Gibbs.

"Yeah ..." Gibbs said, anxious to have this stop.

"Leave him alone, Will" Annie bustled through from the kitchen. "And go put on something decent. The others will be here soon and I need you to make a run to the store first."

"What have you forgotten _now_?" Will said, shaking his head at Gibbs.

"We're out of bourbon" she said, looking pointedly at Gibbs. "And you know how this man loves my bread pudding souffle' with whisky sauce."

"In that case ..."

Will put his beer down on the railing and pushed himself off it.

"You comin' Gunny?"

"No. He's not" Annie said, shoving a bowl of salad into Gibbs' hands. "Set that on the table, Jethro. And when you're done I have a few more things that need doing."

Will patted Gibbs on the shoulder as he walked inside.

"Better you than me" he said with a chuckle. "I'll be back as soon as I can to save you from her clutches."

Gibbs angled his head and smiled a bit. He finished his beer slowly and then trotted down the steps to the table in the garden.

Will paused by the kitchen long enough to give Annie a squeeze. He kissed her on top of the head.

"_You_, Mrs. Evans, are incorrigible."

She looked at him in amusement.

"As are you, Director Evans. Now go. And don't come back too quickly" she called as he exited through the mud room door.

Annie looked out of the kitchen window and saw Gibbs coming back up the steps. She smiled as she glanced at the clock and heard the doorbell ring. She opened the oven and busied herself with basting its contents.

"Jethro .. get the door" she shouted out to him.

Gibbs set his bottle down on the kitchen table and walked through the house.

The rest of the world blurred around the edges as he pulled the door open and found two large green eyes looking straight at him. His pulse elevated to such a rate that it throbbed almost painfully in his neck, making it hard to swallow.

Jennifer Shepard stared at him, her eyes wide with what he thought might be shock. She could feel a faint blush blossoming on her cheek bones. The one person she had been assured _wouldn't_ be at the luncheon was standing right in front of her, looking as shocked as she felt. And she was struck dumb. All the things she had wanted to say to him over the past few months came flooding back in a raging torrent, and she knew that if she opened her mouth she would babble incoherently. So she said nothing and continued to stare at him.

She took a small step backwards when he shifted on his feet.

"Agent Gibbs .." she finally said.

He cleared his throat awkwardly.

"How're you doing?"

He hadn't missed that fact that one shoulder moved slightly less than the other.

"I'm fine. Or at least I will be" she replied, looking down.

His eyes followed her gaze and landed at her feet. Instantly he was back on the bench in Arizona, her small foot pressing almost insistently at his groin. She looked up, her eyes meeting his full of knowing, and the blush that had dissipated was back.

Jen's gaze shifted from his eyes to behind him and he turned around to find Annie grinning wryly at them.

"If you two are just going to stare at each other, you might as well go."

She placed Gibbs' coat unceremoniously into his hands, and tossed his car keys at Jen.

"We have guests coming for lunch and I don't want you hogging the conversation."

She gave Gibbs a push out of the door and closed it behind him.

Jen bent down and picked the keys off the grass. She handed them to Gibbs and hoisted her bag back onto her shoulder.

"Where's your car?" he asked, looking around.

"I took a taxi" she said, pulling out a cell phone.

Gibbs placed a hand on hers to stop her from calling for another one, and she turned towards him.

"Buy you a cup of coffee?" he asked. And Jen smiled gently because she could see the earnestness in his eyes.

"If you want."

* * *

The drive to the coffee shop was quiet, the tension palpable. And he couldn't tell if it was just his tension or a mixture of both of theirs. He kept stealing glances at her out of the corner of his eye. She stared out of the window. He noticed the way her hand rested on her knee, and every now and then her fingers would twitch, as if she was absentmindedly rubbing something off her pants. Part of him longed to lift his hand and place it over hers, to make sure she was fine; to make sure she was really there. But the last fifteen minutes had been among the most surreal he had ever lived through, and he was at a loss over what to do. Five minutes later he gave up trying to fight the urge and lifted his hand. She seemed to sense his movement and moved her hand upwards to her hair, tucking a strand behind her ear. She crossed her arms over her chest, shooting him a quick glance before settling her gaze outside the window again.

"How are Agent McGee and Officer David?" she asked out of the blue.

Her voice was quiet but it sounded loud in the silence of the car.

"They're fine" he replied.

"I never thanked you." She turned to look at him, her large mesmerizing eyes filled with gratitude. "For sending Mike to help me."

"Mike and I go back a long way" he said, shrugging off her thanks. "I'm sure he'd appreciate hearing from you."

Jen looked at him with a small smile.

"Mike's been very good to me" she replied.

Gibbs' gaze flicked to her in confusion.

"If it hadn't been for him I might not have come back to the States at all."

Gibbs frowned at the road, his mind whirring.

"You came back for the job ..." Gibbs said. he'd heard through the grapevine that she had taken a short leave of absence before returning to NCIS to take up a position created just for her, but had no idea she'd been in Mexico at all.

She ignored the question in his sentence.

"I needed a hiatus amidst everything that happened" she said instead.

He wanted to tell her she didn't need to explain. He wanted to tell her he would have done the same in her place. But the words wouldn't come – and he wondered if it was because he felt the sting of what felt suspiciously like betrayal on the part of the man who had told him to leave well alone.

"Margarita safari, huh?" he said instead.

Jen searched his face, but he was giving very little away.

"In a way .." she said, lowering her eyes a moment later.

Gibbs pulled into the coffee shop car park and turned off the engine. Silence filled the car and all he could hear was the steady intake of breath from Jen, and his own blood pounding in his ears.

"We don't have to do this if you don't wa-"

"I want to" Jen said, touching his hand briefly as it rested on the steering wheel.

He stared at their hands for a second and then nodded. He got out and walked round to open Jen's door. He leant down to help her and she gently shrugged him off.

"I'm okay, Agent Gibbs" she said, grimacing fractionally as she pulled herself upright and stood in front of him.

"What happened to dispensing with formalities?" he asked as he reached round her and closed the door.

Her lips parted slightly as he drew near.

"I'm okay ... Jethro" she said with a smile.

He nodded towards the coffee house and she pushed herself off the car. She looked at him in amusement as he held the door open for her, but didn't protest. Gibbs placed a gentle yet firm hand on her lower back as he guided her in. She couldn't help the faint shiver than ran through her body at the contact and stepped surreptitiously away from it, not wanting to give away the fact that she was craving his touch far too much.

She gazed up at the board and concentrated on ordering.

"I'll have the same" she said after he'd placed his order - and the corners of her mouth twitched at the surprised look he shot her.

Jen wrapped her hands around her cup as he sat down almost next to her.

"So ..." she said awkwardly as she looked around her. "Pleasantries first. What have you been up to?"

"Same old same old" he said with a shrug.

"You're doing it again" she said – and he could hear laughter in her tone.

"I know" he said, lowering his eyes from her mouth.

She took a large gulp of coffee, welcoming the scalding heat as it distracted her from the presence of Gibbs sitting too close and yet not close enough. She wrinkled her nose at the temperature and glared slightly at the small laugh that escaped him.

"You OK?" he asked, indicating the coffee.

"It could do with some bourbon" she said, lifting the cup to her lips again.

"I've got some at home" he replied.

She stared at him, and for a second every emotion he could name ran across her face. She pushed them back as she smirked slightly at him.

"Are you trying to get me into bed, Jethro?"

It was his turn to stare. He drank in her image. The manicured fingers wrapped around the cup, the full lips curled in a small smile, the eyes large and intoxicating.

"That wasn't me in Arizona" she continued softly. Knowing that it was something that had to be said. "It wasn't the _real_ me. At least not all of it. Jenny Shepard and Agent Shepard are two very different people. For the most part."

"I know that, Jen" he replied just as quietly. "And no ... I wasn't trying to get you into bed."

She wasn't expecting him to lift her hand to his lips. Neither was she expecting the kiss he placed on her knuckles. For a second she gave into the tug and subconsciously leant into the touch. Then she pulled her hand back and immediately mourned the loss of contact. She tried to ignore the chill his lips had left against her skin and shifted in her seat.

Gibbs moved again, lifting his hand to her shoulder where one of her straps had slipped down. His fingers grazed her skin as he pulled it back up, and froze on the newly healed scar that was knotted at the base of her neck. Guilt flashed across his face and she immediately covered his hand with hers.

"It's okay, Jethro" she said softly, moving her head to force him to look in her eyes.

"No Jen .. it's not."

His hand trembled on her shoulder and her fingers closed around his wrist. She stared at him as her fingers hovered over his pulse point, and his blue eyes drew her in. She gave his arm a small pull and leant forward, covering her lips with his before she lost her nerve and backed out. Not knowing how else to make him see it was fine; that it had been her choice; and she would do it again in a heartbeat if it meant that he still had a life ahead of him.

The kiss was gentle, chaste. Full of reassurance. He pulled away and leant forward even more, his lips resting millimeters from the scar.

"Come home with me" he whispered, his breath tickling her skin.

She didn't hide the shiver this time as she pulled away, her eyes answering for her as she reached under the table for her bag. He pulled her up from the table with one hand and fumbled in his pocket for a few bills to toss on the table top.

"Lets walk" he suggested. "It's not far."

Her hand slipped into his as they walked the couple of blocks back to his house. It was soft and warm and felt like it belonged there. His hand slipped from hers suddenly, and she glanced at him - suddenly worried that she had overstepped her boundaries. But he smiled reassuringly at her and slipped an arm around her waist. Pulling her firmly against his side.

The door closed behind her with a soft snick and she looked up at him expectantly.

"Now that you've lured me here with your sweet talk ..." she baited humorously.

"Hey! _You_ kissed _me_" he reminded her.

"And I'm about to do it again" she said, her eyes sparkling.

Her good arm wound around his neck, the other around his waist, pulling him firmly against her body. The hand around the back of his neck curled into his hair, raising goosebumps over every inch of skin just before his resolve snapped. He cupped her face in his hands and deepened the kiss she'd started - his tongue running along the inside of her mouth. A moan escaped his throat and she swallowed it, the hand around his waist tugging him closer by his belt loops.

All the reserve, the awkwardness, the tension from earlier had dissipated, leaving unfettered want and need in its wake. The world spun and suddenly Jen's back was up against the door, the hard lines of his body pinning her against the wood. A leg slipped between hers and she couldn't help herself. She rolled her hips, groaning low in her throat. She arched into him, quickening the pace of the kiss, reveling in the way he rolled his hips into her and the _feel_ of him, hard, against her thigh. His fingers slipped down her sides, skimming the edge of her breasts before sliding under her top and splaying out across her back, pressing her even closer to him, so close that he felt her nipples pebble against his chest.

He rocked, almost helplessly, against her – his desperation to touch her spurring him on. Until he felt her grimace against his mouth, and realized that the doorknob was pushing into the small of her back. He changed their positions, and leaned back against the door himself. Jen's eyes slid closed for a moment as she rested her head against him. She ran a hand down his cheek, feeling the smooth skin and stubble against her palm.

"Let's give it a moment, huh?" he said gently.

"I may not be fully recovered, but I won't break Jethro" she murmured.

"It's not really you I was thinking of" he said, smiling against her hair.

"You still going to offer me bourbon or was that really just a ruse?" she asked.

"Bourbon's downstairs" he said, leading her down to the basement.

Jen's eyes fell on the boat that lay in the middle of the room. The smell of sawdust hit her and she stumbled slightly. He caught her elbow and she shrugged him off again, walking towards the wooden hull. Her fingers rested almost tentatively on the smooth wood. She glanced at him, silently asking permission to touch.

He smiled at her and then turned away to look for the alcohol.

Jen laid her hand flat against it, her fingers flexing. Feeling the warmth of the wood beneath her hand. She tugged her bottom lip between her teeth, concentrating fully on the masterpiece in front of her. She didn't hear him pour drinks, but he took her hand and wrapped her fingers around a chipped mug. She smiled briefly at him, hugging the mug to her like it was coffee, and continued to walk around the boat.

She ran a hand down it, smiling almost absentmindedly to herself.

Gibbs watched in silence as she bonded with the wood. The way her fingers ran along the length of the hull made his stomach muscles contract and lust stir low in his belly. He watched as she walked round the whole boat, drinking in every detail, every tool mark. Until she came to the stern. He stepped forward to block her, suddenly afraid she would bolt. But she looked at him, her large green eyes questioning and brimming with tears.

"It's called _Jenny_" she said, the question of _why_ lingering in the air.

He stared at her for a moment.

"I missed you Jen" was the only thing he could think of to say.

He reached out for her and pulled her close. Jen blinked away tears and didn't resist. She stood on tiptoes and placed a kiss at the corner of his mouth.

"I missed you before I knew you" she replied quietly.

Gibbs wormed a hand between them and pulled the mug from her. Placing it on the sideboard behind him as his other arm pulled her firmly against his chest.

"Touch me like you touch your boat" she begged.

He pushed her gently against the side of the boat and looked at her intensely before he took one of her legs and hooked it around his own. Pulling her hips closer. His hands ran over her face for a moment before trailing down to her shoulder. He froze again when he encountered the scar.

"Jethro ..." she said, stretching up to kiss him. Knowing she had to take over.

Moving a hand between them, she popped open the top button of his jeans and slid her hand inside. Her palm brushed against his stomach and her fingers curled around him. He let out a small sound from the back of his throat, halfway between a moan and _Jen_, and dragged his mouth away from hers; placing open mouth kisses along her neck and shoulder until she arched into him.

"You asked me if I had ever met anyone who turned my palms clammy just by thinking about her, who made my breath quicken when she crossed my mind, who I wanted to possess."

Her hand stilled for a second.

"She isn't me ..."

"I know. But it's me. You do that. For me" he carried on, nibbling gently on her collar bone until she moved her fingers again, earning herself a hitch in his breath.

Their position was awkward and her hand could do no more than tease.

"You know…" he murmured, placing a kiss behind her ear, noting her shudder and filing it away for later use. "There's a bed upstairs."

Her eyes were still closed when she answered.

"And how often do you sleep there?"

He looked at her in question, wondering why she would ask such a thing.

Her eyes slid open and the look in them was nearly enough to make him forget everything apart from his need to touch her, to be inside her.

"I usually sleep here."

"Here then."

His hand popped open the button on her jeans, and as he dragged them down her thighs she knew was done with slow and deliberate. She wanted to be naked, wanted Gibbs to be naked, wanted to wrap her legs around him as he lost himself in her.

She shrugged out of her top and fumbled with his shirt before ripping it open. His eyes went wide in amusement as she pulled him down with her, the heat from his body seeping into her skin.

"Floor's cold" he whispered into her ear.

"Don't care."

Gibbs lifted himself onto his forearms and looked down at her, almost in worship - his arms shaking as he leant down and kissed her again, slowly and deeply, until she wrapped a leg around his and arched her hips into him. His hand snaked around her back and deftly undid her bra. Slipping out of it, she scuttled it across the room, plastering herself back to him as his fingers played with the waistband of her panties.

The plea she pulled all the way from her toes seemed to spur him on and he hooked a finger into the lace and trailed it down her legs. She shivered as he pulled away to rid her of the material, whether from the cold of the basement of loss of his skin contact she wasn't sure, but she was spared having to think when he was suddenly back, crowding her every sense.

Her legs went back around his waist as a hand travelled up her inner thigh, caressing the smooth skin before dipping into her. Her whole body bucked under his touch. Heat blossomed from his fingers. Up through her stomach and spine. Sending tingles down the backs of her legs. She clutched at any part of him she could reach, fingers digging into skin; certainly leaving bruises that neither of them cared about.

The pathetic whimper that escaped her when he pulled out his fingers was replaced by a moan when he positioned himself on top of her and slowly lowered himself in. She breathed out with him and ran a hand down his spine as he paused to catch his breath.

It had been too long. Too long since he had felt like this, he thought. He had fantasized about Jen, about making her come apart under his hands, since that first meeting in Arizona. But nothing compared to the actual sight of her under him, eyes almost black with desire, throat exposed, red hair spilling onto the ground.

He moved almost imperceptibly, a tiny movement that caused sparks to explode behind her eyeslids.

"Jethro…"

She breathed his name and he knew he would never get tired of hearing it from her lips. It sounded so different; almost like a prayer. He picked up the pace as her fingers dug into his arms, and she matched his rhythm effortlessly. He shifted, lifting one hand to hers and pinning it above her head - effectively intertwining their fingers. His rhythm faltered slightly as he gently bit down on her shoulder, and in a millisecond her whole body was tensing; begging him for harder, faster, just _more._ And then she was clenching around him, his name spilling from her lips. He thrust once, twice more, and then followed her over the edge. His arms shook again from the effort, and she wound hers around his neck and pulled him down gently; resting his head on her shoulder as she ran a hand down his back, the skin slick beneath her fingers.

Gibbs didn't want to move but he knew that lying on the cold, dank floor wasn't an option either. He sat up and she narrowed her eyes worriedly at him. He smiled and reached under the boat for a blanket. He wrapped it around their tired bodies and laid them both down, pulling her safely against him. He listened as her breathing evened out, knowing that he needed to sleep too. Too many sleepless nights down here with only inert desire keeping him company had taken their toll.

It wasn't long before the chill rose from the floor and crept into his bones. He looked down at Jen and wanted to roll on top of her. Kiss her awake and worship her body all over again. He settled for running his fingers down her arm, and she shifted and sighed.

"I'm hungry" she murmured against his skin.

He chuckled slightly and tightened his grip on her. She placed a kiss on his collar bone, tongue darting out and in. But he was tired. Spent, and comfortably numb.

Wanna go out?" he asked gently, and felt her shake her head.

She lifted herself onto an elbow, her hair falling over one shoulder, trailing over his skin.

"Lets order in" she said with a smile.

He lifted his hand and cupped her face, his thumb grazing over her cheekbone, running along her lower lip. She leant into the touch.

"What'd you have in mind?"

Jen rolled onto her stomach and looked at him from underneath a curtain of hair.

"Oh I don't know" she said mischievously. "How would you feel about ... sushi?"

* * *

_Here be the end of Lovers Leap. We hope you have enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed writing it. Thank you for all the reviews and PM's._

_V and E_


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